Fire emblem: Awakening
by Ace 5niper 117
Summary: It is a troubling time for the peaceful land of Ylisse. It's westerly neighbor, Plegia, hopes to start another war against the exalt, and only the Shepherds can protect their home from chaos. But what they don't know...is that something is stirring. Chrom, the leader of the Shepherds, must put his faith to Robin, Lucina, and Soren, a young man with an unknown destiny.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Everyone. This is the start of a revised and edited Fire emblem awakening. Hope u enjoy. **

Chapter 1: the Beginning of everything

(Soren)

"Come on, Soren. Don't you want to join the Shephards?" Byron chuckled, spinning his sword in his hand.

I panted. "Yeah, I do...I just...come on, Byron. It's been two hours already." I complained.

"Sometimes a battle will last longer than you would hope." He said and kicked my wooden sword towards me. "Now come on. That swords not gonna swing itself."

I chuckled and picked it up, spinning it in my hand.

He grinned and swung his wood sword. I leaned back just to see the end of the blade miss my face. I quickly straightened up and spun around, striking his blade with mine.

"Very quick. You'll need it." He said and suddenly knocked my blade aside kicking me square in the chest.

Luckily I had some sparring equipment on. Otherwise that would've hurt more.

"Not bad, kid." He said, helping me up. "You're speed is pretty decent."

I smiled. "Thanks."

He nodded as he took the sparring sword. "Well, let's get you ready for tomorrow."

"Actually...I'm already packed." I lied. Sadly, I'm a terrible liar.

He smiled. "Sure...I know what you're trying to do."

I laughed as he ruffled my hair. "Go ahead. I'm sure she would want to say her goodbye."

I nodded and quickly took off the sparring equipment, tossed it to the hanger, and walked out of the backyard's gate, going towards the one place I'll probably miss the most.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Soren!" Asron, the local guard called. "Heard you're heading out."<p>

"Tomorrow morning." I said.

"Man, you're lucky." He chuckled, slapping me hard on the back. "Not a lot of people get accepted to the Shepherds."

I nodded, rubbing my back. "Yeah. I can't wait."

He grinned. "Well, if you ever come back, we'll have to have a feast. In your honor."

"Uh...it's better with Chrom here." I said, laughing.

He laughed and pointed to the old house. "I think your girlfriend's up there."

"How many times to I have to say this?" I grumbled. "She's not my girlfriend!"

He guffawed. "Yeah...sure." He said.

I scoffed and playfully pushed him aside as I walked to the old house.

The place wasn't really that old. The only thing that made it look like a dump was a giant hole on the attic roof, which gave an amazing view of the plains.

I slowly walked up the steps to see Emma sitting at the edge, staring at the sunset.

Emma's been a good friend to me ever since an incident five years ago. To be honest...she's more like a sister.

"Well, I guess this is it, huh?" She asked.

I sighed and sat next to her. "I guess so."

She giggled. "I remember the day when you were being picked on. That one kid just would not leave you alone."

I laughed. "Yep. Those were the times." I said.

She smiled. "You think Nowi would like to join?"

I shrugged. "Not too sure. All I know is that she's going to miss me."

"We all will." Emma said. "I want to give you something...but I think it may have to wait until tomorrow."

I laughed. "Of course it does."

She giggled. "Just promise me...that you'll be careful."

"Oh come on. You know I'm careful." I joked, playfully bumping her. To be honest, I'm almost as reckless as the Radiant hero.

"I should get home." She said, standing up. "See you tomorrow."

I nodded. "Yeah. See you later."

* * *

><p>Later that night, I was packing my bag when Nowi, my adoptive sister, walked in the room.<p>

"I'm gonna miss you." She said.

I smiled. "I'll miss you too, Nowi."

With tears in her eyes, she ran over and tackled me in a tight hug.

"Hey, it's not like I'm leaving forever." I laughed as I hugged her back. "I'll come back to visit you."

She giggled. "I know. I'm just afraid you'll get killed."

"We both know that won't happen." Byron said, walking in with a package. "Soren's reckless, but enough to keep him alive."

I laughed. "You know me too well, Byron."

He smiled. "You know your parents would be proud of you." He said.

I grinned. "Thanks, Byron."

Byron knew my parents years ago, way before I was even born. The history between them is still unknown to me, but I'd like to find out soon.

"Well, you should get some rest." He said. "But before I go, I want to give you something."

He handed me the long package. I tore it open and revealed two equal swords, a bow with a quiver of arrows, a hand axe, and some tomes.

"Byron...I don't know what to say." I said, drawing a sword from its scabbard.

"Your father made them." Byron explained, pointing to the odd mark near the hilt. "It's a rune sword. It's made to cut through almost anything except another blade."

I stepped back and swung the sword a few times, making it emit this weird noise, like a purr or something.

I then took the small axe. It actually had a nice look to it with the symbols on its blue blade.

"There are lots of ways to defend yourself." Byron said. "But I know you'll be an incredible Shepherd."

I nodded. "Thanks. I'll make you proud."

He grinned. "You already have. Now get some rest. You'll need it for the morning."

* * *

><p>(The next day)<p>

(Chrom)

"Come on, we're almost there." I said as we walked through the road leading to Southtown.

Behind me, Lissa was pouring as she leaned on her staff, limping.

"Come on...I want to go home." She complained.

"I told you well head home after we get the new recruit." I told her.

"What do you know of this recruit, milord?" Frederick asked skeptically.

"Not a lot. All I know is that this man named Byron recommended him." I replied. "We'll have to see what he's capable of."

"I find that that wise." He chuckled when Lissa suddenly gasped and took off.

"Lissa, wait!" I said and ran after her as she knelt down beside an unconscious body. I was shocked to realize that it was a young woman, at least in her early twenties.

"What would a woman be doing out here of all places?" I wondered as I checked for a pulse. "She'll live."

"Chrom...we have do something." Lissa said as I stood up.

"What do you suppose we do?" I asked.

"I...I don't know. But we can't just leave her here." She replied when the woman shuddered, rubbing her head as she sat up.

"I see you're awake now." I said, grinning.

"Hey there." Lissa told her, smiling.

"There's better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know." I told the woman and held out my hand. "Give me your hand."

She hesitantly took it, and I pulled her up on her feet, surprising her.

"You alright?" I asked.

She nodded. "Thank you...Chrom."

I looked at her in surprise. "You now my name? I don't suppose we've met before."

"Oh! No...it...it just came to me." She said.

"Okay...well, what's yours?" I asked.

She rubbed her head. "My name? Uh...my name is...shoot!"

"You don't remember your own name?" I asked.

"Well, no...I...where are we exactly?" She asked, checking her surroundings.

"Hang on, Maribelle told me about this once." Lissa said. "She said it's called Amnesia."

"It's called a load of pegasus dung." Frederick said. "We're supposed to believe that you know milords name, but not your own?"

"But it's true!" She said defensively.

"What if it is true, Frederick?" I asked. "We can't just leave her here."

"My apologies, but I must remain cautious." He said. "It would not do to bring a wolf amongst our flock."

"We'll take her with us then." I said. "She'll be judged by Emm when we get back."

"Hey, hold on! Don't I get a say I this?" The woman demanded.

I chuckled. "Peace, friend. You'll be safe in our company." I assured her. "In the meantime, let's get you something you eat. I'm sure you could use it."

In response, her stomach growled.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." She giggled.

* * *

><p>As we walked through the path some more, the woman was looking around anxiously.<p>

"Am...am I your prisoner?" She asked.

I shook my head. "No. You'll be free to do what you please once we see that you're no threat to Ylisse."

"Ylisse? That's where we are, huh?" She wondered.

"You've never heard of the halidom?" Frederick asked and chuckled. "Someone pay this actress. She plays quite the fool."

"Frederick, please." I said, noticing our newcomer glaring at him. "Don't listen to him. Frederick's known to be pretty wary of strangers." I told her and laughed. "Which is pretty much why we call him Frederick the wary."

"A title I wear with pride." He said, not even taking offense. "I want to trust you stranger, but my mandate says otherwise."

The woman nodded. "That's...understandable." She said and looked as if she just remembered something. "You can call me Robin. Funny. That's one mystery solved."

"Robin? Is that foreign?" I wondered. "Well, I'm glad you at least have your name. I'd hate to just refer to you as "Stanger"."

She shrugged. "That can get annoying."

I chuckled. "Well then, I'm Chrom. But of course you already know that." I muttered and patted Lissa's arm. "This delicate one here's Lissa."

"I am not delicate!" She retorted, punching my arm and turning to Robin. "You can ignore my brother. He's thick at times. You're lucky the three of us found you, though. If you woke up to a bunch of brigands, that wouldn't have gone too well."

I nodded. "She's got a point." I said. "They're known to-"

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion behind us. We wheeled around to see a huge pillar of smoke coming from the town's church just ahead.

"Is that Southtown?" Frederick asked.

I nodded. "Brigands!"

"We should help them!" Lissa said.

"Right. Let's go." I said and took off.

"Wait, what about me?" Robin asked.

I stopped to look at her. "Can you fight?"

She nodded and procured a bronze sword from her cloak with a yellow book.

"You know magic?" Frederick asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, I suppose so."

"You suppose so?" I asked nervously. "Maybe I should take a few steps-"

"No, it's fine. What's important now is helping that town." She said. "I'll figure this out."

Frederick and I exchanged glances and shrugged.

At least she's willing to help. I thought.

* * *

><p>(Minutes earlier)<p>

(Soren)

"Well, you look like an adventurer." Byron chuckled as I slipped on my leather jacket.

"Give me a break, you know I like this thing." I said.

He shrugged. "Sure. Just be sure not to wear that too long."

I rolled my eyes and slipped on my pack.

He nodded in approval when someone suddenly banged on the door.

"What the heck?" I asked.

"I'm not sure." Byron said and walked over to the door. "One things for sure, they're going to have to pay for that door if they-"

Suddenly, the door blew off it's hinges, and a group of thugs charged in.

"Nowi, get out of here!" I yelled and drew my axe, but it got knocked out of my hand by one of the thugs, while another slammed me against the wall.

"Leave the boy alone!" Byron said as he got overpowered by two more.

"Byron!" I said and elbowed my attacker in the nose, trying to break free.

"What is this about?" Byron demanded as I got pushed back into the wall. "What do you want?"

"That's not your concern, Ylissean." A man with a large scar on his face sneered.

"Sir, we've got a straggler." One of them announced, roughly pulling Nowi in by her hair.

"Nowi!" I said and growled at scar face. "Leave her alone!"

"Shut up!" One of the thugs said and punched me square in the ribs, knocking the breath out of me.

"Check him. See if he has the mark." Scar face said, pointing to me.

One of them grinned and roughly twisted my arm to see the back of my hand. "He's got it, boss."

"Thought so." He said and turned to Byron. "You have committed crimes against Plegia. Harboring a cursed one is considered treason."

"Treason to who, Gangrel?" Byron spat. "You forget, you're in Ylissean territory."

"Yes, but soon this will be Plegian territory." The man shot back and turned to a thug at the door. "Search the house and find anything of use."

The thug nodded, grinning as he rolled three barrels up the stairs.

Scar face then turned to the other guard. "I expect the Shepherds will be here soon. While I'm gone, you take care of these...criminals."

"With pleasure." The guard said as his boss left the house. He turned to his comrades. "Alright boys, kill the old man and the boy. We keep the girl."

"No!" I yelled when I suddenly felt a blade enter my side.

"It's not up to you anymore...Arcean." The thug said, letting me fall to the floor.

As I laid on the floor, the only thing I heard before blacking out was Nowi's screaming, and a loud explosion that shook the house.

(Robin)

As soon as we got to the town, I could tell that all heck had broken loose. There were brigands chasing so many innocent civilians all over the place.

"This has to stop." Chrom growled as he drew this odd looking sword from its scabbard.

"What about the recruit?" Frederick asked.

"I'll look for him. Lissa, you come with me!" Chrom instructed. "Frederick, you do what you can to save those civilians."

Without so much of a nod, Frederick took off towards the skirmish.

"Robin...stick with me and Lissa." Chrom said. "I could use an extra hand."

"Okay. Lead the way." I said.

He nodded and dashed towards the houses.

As I followed him, I suddenly noticed a man with odd looking armor fighting one of the guards.

Who is that? I wondered.

"Robin, come on!" Chrom said and continued heading for the houses.

"Why are they all intact?" Lissa wondered, noticing that most of the other houses were still in one piece. "Wouldn't brigands attack every house they run into?"

"It does seem odd." Chrom agreed when I noticed at one of the houses was completely demolished.

"Come on!" I said and ran towards it, trying as best as I can to push away the debris.

I eventually gave up and drew my bronze sword, slashing at the wooden beam.

Eventually, it broke in half, and the entryway was cleared enough for us to walk through.

"Hello? Anyone here?" Chrom asked, lifting some debris. "Don't worry, we're not here to hurt you."

Suddenly, Lissa gasped in horror as she crawled away from something.

"What is it?" I asked and gasped, staring at the dead body of a middle aged man.

"Is that..."

"Byron." Chrom said sadly. "We're too late."

"Is he the recruit?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No. Byron was the mentor."

I sighed when I noticed a piece of debris start to move. I kneeled beside and pushed it off, reveling a young man. At least seventeen by the looks of him.

"That's him!" Chrom said, checking his neck and sighed in relief. "Thank the gods...he's alive."

"Let's get him outside." I said when the room suddenly got dark. I looked over my shoulder to see a thug with a scarred face glare at us.

"You don't think I'd let you leave before killing you, would ya?" He sneered.

I stood up and drew my sword. "You stay where you are!"

"Or what, you gonna smack me to death with that child's toy?" He chuckled, only to find Chrom's sword at his throat.

"Who are you?" He demanded.

"Someone you don't want to mess with." Scar face replied and knocked the sword away with his axe, attempting to strike before I blasted him into the debris with my wind magic.

"Come on!" I said and grabbed the boy's arms, dragging him out of the ruined house.

Once we got him out, Lissa immediately started using her healing ability on him as Scar face ran out of the house in a frenzy.

"That boy doesn't deserve to live." He snarled.

"It's not your call." Chrom shot back as we braced ourselves as he ran towards us, just barely missing us with his axes.

As soon as I dodged his attack, I quickly grabbed my tome and zapped him with Thunder, staggering him enough to give Chrom a chance to slash his back.

"I don't lose easily!" Scar face snarled and punched Chrom square in the gut, knocking the wind out of him.

"Chrom!" I yelled and armies my palm at him. "Time to tip the scales!" I said when I suddenly used Thoron to blow a hole in his chest, immediately killing him.

Chrom just stared at me in surprise as I helped him up. "You're certainly no helpless victim."

I laughed. "Yeah...you can say I learned some things. Don't remember when or how though."

He chuckled and patted my shoulder. "You're alright, Robin."

"I'll say." Lissa said. "Swords, magic, AND tactics? We should make you our new tactician."

"I was just about to get to that, Lissa." Her brother said.

"I think the best thing to do right now is clear out the rest of the brigands." I said and looked over to the kid. "And get him inside."

**okay. What do u think? I guess this means I'll be working on this for a while. Man...four stories...I'm surprised I've kept my sanity :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey whats up everybody? Here's chater 2. Hope u enjoy. **

Chapter 2: Marth

(Chrom)

"Let's get the wounded inside!" The Friar said as Robin and carried in the kid, laying him on one of the cots.

"I can't thank you enough, milord." The friar said. "If there's anything you need, I'll be happy to give any help I can."

"That's very appreciated. Thank you." I said.

The Friar nodded and went to help the rest of the wounded.

"Will he be okay?" Robin asked, patching up Soren's wound.

I nodded. "He should be. We can only hope."

"Who is he?" Lissa asked.

I sighed. "He's the new recruit."

"New recruit?" Robin wondered. "What do you mean?"

"I came here because an old friend of the exalt sent us a message, saying that Soren here wants to join the Shepherds." I explained. "I just wish we could've come sooner."

Suddenly, Soren's eyes snapped awake as he sat upright.

"Byron! Nowi!" He yelled and winced, holding his side.

"Easy, kid." I told him, helping him lie down. "You just survived a big attack."

"Where's...Byron?" He demanded. "Where's my sister?"

Sister? I wondered and pardoned the thought. "Listen...kid, I...I'm sorry. Byron was killed."

He just stared at me, horrified by the news.

"Byron...no..." He said.

"Kid, I'm sorry." I said. "I should've gotten here sooner."

"Milord, may I speak to you real quick?" Frederick asked.

I nodded and turned to Robin. "Keep Soren company."

She nodded, letting me know that she's got him as I stood up to talk to Frederick.

"Our best guess is that the attackers are Plegian." He said. "They spoke in their accent."

"I would suppose so." I said. "Normal brigands wouldn't cause this much damage."

"Yes...but there's also something else." Frederick added. "One of the civilians said that he saw a young woman, around seventeen, being chased by a man with very odd looking armor."

"Do they know where they went?" I asked.

He shook his head. "That's the thing. As soon as he started chasing her, the girl vanished in thin air."

I looked at him in confusion. "You mean...disappeared?"

He nodded. "I believe so. Also, there were two Plegian thugs fleeing the battle with an unconscious young girl. I couldn't make out what she was to be frank."

"This is something we'll have to inform my sister." I said.

He nodded. "I agree. When shall we leave?"

"Right now."

* * *

><p>"Hold on...we're leaving?" Lissa asked. "What about the townsfolk?"<p>

"Don't worry, young lass. I'll take care of them." The Friar assured her.

"Lissa, Emmeryn needs to hear this." I said and and looked over to Soren, who had his head in his hands while Robin did her best to comfort him.

"You're still going to recruit him, milord?" Frederick asked.

I nodded. "I don't think that there's anything left for him here anymore." I said and walked over to him.

"I've tried my best." Robin said.

"I know." I said and put my hand on the kid's shoulder. "Kid, you're going to have to come with us."

He nodded. "Yeah...I figured."

"Listen...none of this is on you." I assured him. "And...there may be a chance that your sister's alive."

That got his attention. "Really? Are you sure?"

I nodded. "Frederick said that she was spotted being carried by those Plegians." I explained. "I'm not sure how far they could've gotten right now, but I'll tell you this: I'll do everything in my power to reunite you with your sister. I promise."

He smiled weakly. "Thanks."

I grinned and patted his shoulder. "I'll help you find your things. We're going to be leaving pretty soon."

(Soren)

Once all my stuff was retrieved, I took one last look at what's left of the place I called home.

Goodbye. I thought when the woman from the church walked beside me.

"We're heading out." She said.

I nodded. "Okay."

"Listen...I just met Chrom here, so I'm not familiar with their...ways, but I just want you to know that you'll be in good hands." She said. "I'm sure of it."

I smiled. "Thanks." I said and held out my hand. "My name's Soren."

"Robin." She said and took it. "I'm looking forward to working with you."

"Alright, we're set." Chrom announced. "Let's head out."

"The sooner we arrive, the better my feet feel." Lissa muttered as she followed the knight.

As I started to walk after the others, I took one last look at the house.

When the time comes, I'll find Nowi and Emma. I thought. But until then, I need to do whatever I can to help the Shepherds.

It's what I've always wanted to do anyway.

Suddenly, Frederick roughly bumped my shoulder with the butt of his spear.

"You going or not?" He asked.

I gritted my teeth and caught up with Chrom and Robin.

* * *

><p>As we walked through the start of the woods, I noticed that it started getting pretty dark.<p>

"Ooh...I told you it'd be dark." Lissa complained. "And now the bugs are out."

"Oh come on, Lissa. Hardship builds character." Chrom laughed. "You want to help me collect firewood?"

Lissa started spitting at the ground. "Ugh...I got one in my mouth! Gross!" She complained. "I'll pass on the firewood, thanks. I think I've built quite enough character for one day."

Robin laughed when her stomach suddenly growled. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving. We should think about food."

I nodded when mine started growling. "I'd have to agree with Robin on that one." I said.

"Of course you would." I heard Frederick grumble.

"Frederick, please." Chrom said. "Soren and I will look for some food, some good wood if we come across it."

"Okay, Lissa and I will help clear us a camp." Robin said.

Chrom nodded. "Thanks, Robin." He said and gently patted my shoulder. "Soren, come on. Frederick, you too."

He shrugged. "Yes, milord."

As we walked through the woods, we managed to find some good, dry wood, enough to last the whole night.

"Okay...there might be some deer nearby." Chrom said with a hushed voice. "Soren, wait here until I return."

I nodded and watched him slowly creep along the trees shadows.

As we waited, I couldn't help but feel that Frederick was staring at me.

"I'm not sure why you deserve to be a member." He said suddenly. "The only thing you did was nearly getting crushed by your house."

"Give me a break. Those Plegians attacked the place." I said.

"Yes, I'm sorry about that, but what I don't get is how you get a free ride. When I joined the Shepherds, I had to train harder than you can imagine."

"And you think I never did?" I demanded. "I started working my butt off as soon as I heard of you, so don't you go off, calling me useless."

Before Frederick could say anything, I stormed off towards Chrom, who was crouching behind the bush.

"I told you to wait." He said softly, trying to be nice and not scaring away any deer.

"Yeah, well Frederick can't seem to stand me." I muttered. "I'm not in the mood to deal with him."

"Frederick's like that." He agreed. "He's tough on newcomers."

"Really, doesn't seem that way with Robin." I said.

"She's...a special case." He said. "We found her unconscious just outside Southtown."

"Makes sense." I muttered.

He chuckled as he looked over the bush. "Not a single deer in sight."

I attempted to look over when the bush suddenly rumbled, startling both of us.

"Oh crud...bear!" I said quietly.

Chrom nodded as we slowly backed away, but then a twig snapped under my foot, waking the bear.

It immediately stood on its hind legs and growled at us, raising his paw.

Without thinking, I held up my hand, and the mark on the back started glowing when bright bolt of lightning shot through the beast...immediately killing it.

"What the...how'd you do that?" Chrom asked.

"I...I don't know." I said, staring at my mark in disbelief.

Chrom let out an impressed scoop as he helped me up. "Whatever that was...we're going to have to learn its origin."

I nodded and inspected the hole on the bear's chest. "So...what do we do with it?"

"Well, there's nothing else around, so I guess dinner's on."

I looked at him. "You eat bear?"

He chuckled. "Yeah...my father kinda got me on that."

I laughed. "Well, let's get this bear over to camp, then."

* * *

><p>"Wow...quite a catch." Robin laughed, watching as Chrom and I tugged as hard as we could to get the bear over a ditch. "Here, I'll help."<p>

And with that, the bear started floating in the air, landing beside the campfire.

"Neat trick." I said.

She smiled and looked at the bear's wound curiously. "What...happened?"

"Well, we kinda mistook the bear for a bush, and when it woke up and attacked us, Soren just...zapped it."

"Wait, with a tome?" Frederick asked.

Chrom shook his head. "No...but with this." He said and pointed to the mark on my hand. "Ever seen it before?"

Frederick shook his head. "No. I'm not too familiar with this."

"If I could remember, I'd tell you." Robin said. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine." I said when I remembered what one of the Plegians said. "When those thugs attacked the town, one of them called me an Arcean."

"Arcean? What's that?" Lissa asked.

I shrugged. "I'm not sure."

"Well, whatever an Arcean is, that could be why they attacked your house of all places." Chrom said when he knelt beside the bear, cutting it apart to start cooking.

As soon as it was finished, each of us was given a pretty large portion of bear jerky.

"Ah...that's it." Chrom said. "It's been too long since I've last had bear meat. Delicious."

I laughed as I took a bite. To be honest, it's not that bad.

"Hey Lissa, dig in." Chrom said to his disgusted sister.

"Ugh...I'll pass on the bear. I mean, come on...who eats bear? We're messing with the food chain." She said.

"Lissa, it's just meat." Chrom said.

"Since when does mea smell like old boots?" She demanded and took a sniff, recoiling. "Never mind. Boots smell better."

I laughed. "You should've seen Nowi. She-"

Once I said her name, I suddenly felt guilty. "You know...I'm not hungry." I said, putting my jerky on the cloth and walking off.

As I leaned against the tree, I stared at the faint light of Southtown.

"I guess this Nowi meant a lot to you." Robin said, walking up beside me.

I nodded. "She was my sister." I said. "Well, adoptive sister."

She smiled. "It's good to keep your loved ones close. I wish I could."

Confused, I glanced at her. "Don't you have family?"

She shrugged. "I don't really know. I've got no memory of my past."

"I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "It's fine. But you shouldn't worry too much. I'll do whatever I can to help you find your sister."

I nodded. "Thanks."

She smiled. "You're welcome."

(Chrom)

As the others went to sleep later that night, I decided to stay up and keep watch, just in case there are bandits nearby planning to rob us.

Of course...the only thing they'd steal before killing us is the leftover jerky.

That wasn't the only thing that kept me up, though. Ever since Soren...whatever that was he did to that bear, I've been pretty curious about the mark on his hand, along with what the Plegian called him.

An Arcean...maybe I have heard something about this, but from where? I wondered when I noticed that the forest was strangely quiet.

"Odd...it was making noise before." I told myself as I stood up.

To my surprise, Lissa and Soren woke up.

"What's up?" Soren asked groggily.

"Don't sleep well without noise, huh?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No...I guess it's some instinct I have."

I don't blame you there. I thought.

"What do you think that is?" Lissa asked.

"I'm not sure. I'll go check it out." I said.

"Not alone, you won't." Lissa said.

"We'll help." Soren agreed.

I chuckled. "Thanks, you two."

* * *

><p>Things got more suspicious the longer we walked through the woods.<p>

"Okay...something's up." Soren said.

I nodded. "Right. It's way too quiet."

Suddenly, the ground began to shake in a frenzy, almost knocking us off our feet.

"Everyone, stay close!" I said when I noticed the trees in the distance start to fall over.

"Run." I said.

"What?" Lissa asked.

I turned to her and Soren. "I mean it. Go!" I said and took off after them as the ground started splitting apart, spewing lava all over the place.

Earthquake. I thought as I dashed passed the other two. "Hey, this way!" I said, pointing to a small ledge and ran over to it.

"Jump!" I commanded and leapt off, landing hard on my feet.

Soon, Soren and Lissa landed beside me, and we continued getting as far from the earthquake as possible.

Once we were a good distance away, we stopped in a small field, gazing at the destruction going on.

"I hope Robin and Frederick made it out." I said.

"Chrom, what is that?" Lissa asks, pointing to the sky. I turn to see a small light. At first I thought it was just a giant star until it suddenly started absorbing light, and became a giant eye.

"What the heck?" Soren asked, grabbing the hilt of one of his swords.

I stepped forward to try and get a better look when I saw three figures fall from the eye, landing with a thud in the bushes in front of us, glaring at us with...red eyes?

"Lissa, stand back!" I said as Soren and I drew our swords, bracing ourselves.

One of the let out a loud growl and dashed towards us, swing his axe.

I quickly dodged it's attack and slashed him across the chest, hoping it killed it.

To make it stranger, it didn't die and attempted to attack me again, but I blocked it and knocked it on his stomach.

Before it could get up, I leapt forward and stabbed it in the back, not only killing it, but making it dissipate into a black cloud.

What was that thing? I thought when I heard my sister yell for help. I turned to see her cornered, with another one of those things raising his axe.

"Go! I've got this one." Soren said, holding the other's axe in place with his swords.

I nodded and started running to help Lissa, not even noticing a stranger land beside me, diving between the two with his sword at his back, defending my sister.

I stared at him, surprised with that reckless move he pulled.

He held the axe with all the strength he could muster before looking over to me. "Help!" He yelled.

Considering the fact that he's a total stranger, an enemy of my enemy is my friend.

"Right." I said and started running towards the creature, yelling with the top of my lungs.

The thing heard me, staring at me and attempted to strike, but the stranger spun around and slashed it at the same time as me, immediately killing it.

I sighed with relief and glared at the stranger. "Quite an entrance." I said as Soren ran up. "What's your name?"

He didn't answer. He just looked over his shoulder at me with his eyes hidden behind a mask.

I was about to ask him again when Soren suddenly shot an arrow at a oncoming creature's face, immediately killing it.

"No time to talk now." The stranger said. "We need to kill these things."

I nodded. "Right. Lissa, stick with me!" I said. "Soren, go with...him."

"I don't need help." The stranger said.

"Maybe not, but you just saved my sister, so that makes you a friend." I said.

He nodded and turned to Soren. "Stay close."

"Got it." He replied and followed him further down the field, where a group of those undead stood.

Suddenly, Frederick ran up with Robin.

"Are you okay? Where's Soren?" Robin asked.

"I'm fine, and he's fine too. He's just...I'll explain later." I said and pointed at the undead. "Right now we need to clear this field of those things."

"Naga's name...what are they?" Frederick demanded.

I shrugged. "I don't know. We just need to get rid of them before they can get to Southtown or Ylisstol."

"Can't argue with that." Robin said. "I just hope Soren's okay."

(Lucina/Marth)

"Stay close!" I said, pushing back a Risen's sword when an arrow sprouted from its head, dissipating it.

I looked over to Soren, who gave a slight nod and shot another Risen in the head.

"Try to keep up, will you?" He said jokingly as he struck another with his hand axe.

I grinned and dodged two Risen's swords, spinning around to finish them off, leaning back to stab another square in the face.

I looked over my shoulder as I stood up, watching Soren taken on three of the Risen with his swords when I noticed another ready to strike him in the head from behind.

Maybe it was instinct...or something else that drove me to throw my father's sword at it, striking it in the chest just as Soren killed the other three.

He noticed my sword in the ground and looked at me in surprise. "Thanks."

I nodded and got Falchion from the ground. "Don't mention it."

He grinned, but i quickly looked away. Seeing that grin...it reminded me of Nah.

"Hey, you okay?" Soren asked.

I shook away the thought. "I'm fine." I told him when I noticed a buff looking Risen come up behind him.

"Soren, look out!" I yelled.

He looked over his shoulder and quickly stopped the axe from coming down on his head with one sword, holding it in place.

"No doubt...he's the boss." Soren said, doing his best to hold the axe back.

"Soren!" I heard someone yell and looked over by the clouds of dust to see who I assume is my mother running towards us and blasting the undead soldier in the leg with Thoron.

"Thanks, Robin." Soren said.

"Let's finish him!" I told him, and we both ended up slashing the risen chief across the chest, killing it instantly.

Soren sighed and leaned forward. "What we're this things?"

"Whatever they were, they're dead now." A woman with short red hair rode up beside my father.

"Who are you?" Soren asked her.

"I'm Sully. I'm a Shepherd." She said, looking at him with disgust. "Who are you?"

"This is the kid I told you about, Sully." Father told her.

Sully looked at Soren and grunts disapprovingly. "I expected him to be older."

"Hey!" Soren snapped. "At least you didn't lose your home!"

"Oh, I can imagine." She muttered.

"Enough, you two." Frederick said, breaking them up. "Sully, give the kid a break. He's proven himself tonight."

"To you, maybe." The arrogant Paladin grunted. "He's going to have to go a long way to get my approval."

"Sully, just go tend to that archer." Father said and pointed to who I recognized as Virion.

"Whatever." Sully grumbled as she steered her horse. "I can't believe that guy followed me here."

Once she was gone, dad shook his head in annoyance and turned to me. "You seem to be an able fighter."

I gave a slight nod, not saying a word.

"He was actually a really big help." Soren told him, still annoyed with the attitude Sully had towards him.

Dad nodded and turned to me. "I don't believe I caught your name yet." He said.

"You can call Marth." I said.

"Marth? As in...the hero-king of old?" Chrom wondered. "You seem to know your way with the blade. Where'd you learn it?"

I turned away. "I'm not here to talk about me." I said and pointed to the closing portal. "I'm here to give you a warning. What you saw today is only a prelude to something worse."

And with that, I turned my back yo them. "You've been warned."

* * *

><p>As I walked off, I suddenly got this feeling that I was being followed.<p>

"I know you're there." I said, looking over my shoulder to see Soren with his arms crossed.

"You know...after that stunt you pulled earlier, helping Lissa like that? That's enough to convince Chrom to let you join." He said. "Plus, you saved my life."

I looks away. "That may be true, but my place is elsewhere."

He was quiet for a moment, then chuckled. "You're not a bad fighter."

I smiled and turned to face him. "You're not so bad yourself."

He grinned when Frederick started calling him back.

"Do me a favor...keep Chrom alive." I said as he turned to leave. (It felt weird calling my father by his name, but I had to do it to keep my identity safe.)

Soren nodded. "Don't worry, he's in good hands." He said. "Sure, I don't know him all too well, but...he saved my life. I owe him."

I smiled. "I'm sure you two will get along great."

He nodded and turns to leave. "Be careful." He said before running back to the others.

As I watched him go, I couldn't help but smile. Something about him...I've always wondered what really drove my father to recruit. It's not just because of what happened to his mentor.

Only time will tell.

**Wow...looks Like something's going on. Soren somehow shot through a bear with his mark, Risen show up, and mystery man Marth appears. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, what's up guys? Here's Chapter three, revised and edited. Hope u enjoy. **

Chapter 3: the Shepherds

"Welcome to Ylisstol." Chrom said as we passed the main gate.

Robin whistled. "I have to admit...it's a beautiful city." She said.

I nodded. "You got that right."

"I am relieved that the earthquake didn't hit the city." Frederick said.

"That's something we can agree on." I said when a group of people bumped my shoulder as they ran for the large road.

"The Exalt is here!" One of them said happily as he ran.

"The who?" Robin wondered.

"The Exalt. She's our ruler." Frederick explained as we walked into the crowd. "Lady Emmeryn is her name."

"Is it safe for her to walk the streets?" I asked.

"Emmeryn's a symbol of peace, which is Ylisse's prized quality." Chrom explained. "Long ago, at the dawn of our age, the fell dragon known as Grima tried to destroy the world, but the Hero-king joined forces with the divine dragon and laid the monster low."

"So I guess she reminds us of that, then." I said.

Chrom nodded. "Yep. That's her. Her presence...it's calming. Especially with Plegia poking at our borders."

"She's also the best big sister anyone could ask for." Lissa said.

Robin smiled. "I can imagine...wait, what?" She asked, surprised.

"She's your sister?" I asked.

Chrom chuckled. "Of course she is."

She stared at him. "Wait...so that means you and Lissa are-"

"Prince and princess." I finished.

"Yep. You two know my name, but not that?" Chrom asked, looking amused.

"You said you were Shepherds!" Robin retorted.

"I hate to admit it, but I only heard you're the leader of the Shepherds." I muttered.

He scoffed. "Well, we're protecting a kingdom, and to be clear we do have a lot of sheep."

Robin just stared at him. "Oh! Your majesty...I guess I'm sorry about some things-"

"It's fine, I'm not really into formalities." He said, amused.

"A prince and princess, huh?" I wondered. "No wonder Frederick tolerates the teasing."

"Yes...the sacrifices a knight must make." He grumbled.

Chrom laughed and looked over the crowd. "Looks like Emm's heading back to the castle. You guys want to meet her?"

"Sure." I said.

"I guess it won't hurt." Robin agreed.

Chrom grinned and turned to Sully and Virion. "You two head to the garrison. We'll be there shortly."

The two nodded and started walking off as Chrom and the rest of us headed towards the large castle.

(Chrom)

I have to say I'm still amused with Soren and Robin, not knowing I was a prince, but then of course Robin woke up with no memory, while Southtown doesn't get a whole lot of news.

As we walked into the great hall, I smiled as we walked up to Emmeryn.

"Chrom, Lissa...how was your trip?" She asked with her soothing voice. It never gets old.

"It went well for a start." I said. "But...things got pretty bad down at Southtown."

"Oh...what happened?" She asked, concerned.

"A group of Plegians attacked the town, milady." Frederick said. "Their reasons are still unknown, but we do know that they were after our young friend Soren here."

"Why?" Phila, Emmeryn's guard asked.

"They called me something." Soren said. "An Arcean?"

"It was new for us, too." I said. "In the middle of the attack, his guardian was killed, and his sister was kidnapped."

"I'm sorry." Emmeryn said. "I hope your guardian will find peace."

"He won't until I find out why I was Gangrel's target." He said with a ominous tone.

"Now, the woman, was she with you?" Emm asked him.

I shook my head. "We found Robin unconscious in the way to Southtown." I explained. "She was a big help during the attack."

"Oh...so you're already thinking highly of them." Emm said.

I nodded. "Yes. I decided to make Robin our new tactician."

"Very well." Emm said, nodding to both of them when Frederick cleared his throat.

"Milady, I must add something of Robin." He said. "She claims to have lost her memory. But it is a claim. We won't know if she's lying and is a Plegian spy."

"Frederick!" I snapped when Emm patted my shoulder.

"You trust her...correct?" She asked.

I nodded. "She fought to save Ylissean lives. That's good enough for me."

"Well then, welcome to the both of you." She told Robin and Soren.

"Now milady, I'm sure you're aware of our new foe from the night before." Frederick said.

"Yes. We were just about to hold council." Emmeryn said and turned to me. "Will you join us?"

I nodded and looked over to Lissa. "Take Soren and Robin over to the garrison, will you?"

"Sure." She said and tugged Soren's cuff. "Come on, you two."

Once the three left, Emmeryn and Phila led the way to the parliament.

* * *

><p>Our parliament isn't as big as it used to be. The only people that were council members were Emmeryn, myself, Phila, Miriel, and Frederick.<p>

We could use a few more people.

"So...what exactly were those things last night?" Phila asked as she sat down. "Cordelia and I encountered two of them last night just minutes after that earthquake."

"I'm not sure." I said. "They were just...dead. They were only killed by being struck in the head, or their dead heart."

"So...they're the undead." Miriel said, rubbing her chin. "Risen."

"What?" Frederick asked.

"I believe that would be a proper name for them." The Mage said, flipping through her book. "I believe that it's some powerful magic causing those monsters to rise from their grave."

"That would seem possible." Emmeryn said. "There have been tales of the dead rising."

"Do you think they could be working with the Plegians?" Frederick asked.

"I'm not sure. But if they are, we'll need some extra hands." Phila said.

"Correct. We need the Feroxi."

"The Feroxi?" I asked.

Emmeryn nodded. "Yes. If we can get their military aid, we may be able to keep everyone safe from both Plegians and the undead."

"With all due respect, milady...the Feroxi aren't easy to win over." Frederick said.

"Perhaps. But we need their support." Emmeryn told him.

I nodded. "Emm's right. Going through them may be tough, but we need all the help we can get."

"So you'll go?" My sister asked.

I grinned. "Yes. I'll get the Shepherds rounded up first thing in the morning and head on for Regna Ferox."

"It's settled then." Emmeryn said. "Chrom will lead the Shepherds to the Feroxi capital and try to gain support. Let Naga guide us all."

As we rise to leave, I noticed Emmeryn calling me over.

"I'll go ahead and head to the garrison." Frederick said.

"Go get some rest." I told him. "You'll need after after last night."

He yawned in response and left without another word, leaving me chuckling to myself as I walked over to my sister.

"There's something I need to ask." She said.

"What is it?"

"You don't know what an Arcean is...do you?" She asked.

I shook my head. "I don't suppose so. That title is new to me."

"I would agree." She said with a nod. "Has he...done anything out of the ordinary?"

"Besides his crazy fighting skills?" I joked when I remembered the bear. "Well, there was this one time when we were hunting last night. A bear attacked us, and Soren just...shot straight through it with a large bolt of lightning. Without a tome."

"You don't suppose he could've memorized the spell?" She giggled.

"I guess. But when he did it...this weird mark on his hand started glowing."

She looked away. "I've never heard of such a thing. I'll have Miriel look into this at her library." She said. "Until then, be sure Soren doesn't use his power too often."

I nodded. "Sure."

"And make sure you keep him safe." She added. "The Plegians may believe he's dead, but if not...just keep him safe."

"Okay. I'll let the Shepherds know what the plan is for tomorrow." I told her and turned to leave.

If the Plegians are after Soren...his life could be more dangerous than any of us think.

(Soren)

"Alright, there it is." Lissa said, pointing to the large brick house.

"Wow...that's the garrison?" Robin asked. "It looks like a Duke's house."

"The second and third floors are the quarters." The princess explained. The ground floor's the lobby, where you'll find the others training or whatever."

"Sounds like a small academy to me." I muttered as we walked in.

"Hey, Squirt!" A voice from the back of the room shouted. "Where's Chrom? I bet he had a rough time out there without old Teach and his trusty axe."

Lissa groaned. "So it's "Teach" now? And here I thought people were born lacking wits. Can it be taught?"

"Hehe. Never doubt the-wait...was that an insult?" He asked.

"Lissa?! Are you alright?" A girls demanded, running up to her.

"Oh, hey Maribelle." Lissa said.

"Oh hey yourself! I've sprouted fourteen gray hairs fretting over you!" Her friend chided.

"It's fine. I can survive a battle or two." She giggled. "Though I could do better without the bugs and bear barbecue."

"Hey Lissa...when might we see the captain?" Another girl asked, nervously spinning her lance in her hand.

The girl named Maribelle sighed. "Poor Sumia. She's simply been beside herself with worry over our captain. Why, she was constantly scanning the horizon all day during training hours."

"Aw, Sumia...that's so sweet of you to worry about Chrom." Lissa said.

"Well...he's our captain...and our prince. Of course I'd worry." She retorted.

"So...who're the strangers?" Vaike asked, nodding towards me and Robin.

"No one's stranger than you, Vaike."

Lissa said. "But meet Soren and Robin. They just joined the Shepherds."

"Well, what can they do?" Sully asked, looking at me with disapproval.

"I'm sure I can do a lot more things than you!" I snapped.

"Whoa, easy there." A man completely clad in armor said, trying to break it up. "Sully, knock it off, will ya?"

The paladin scoffed and stormed off.

"Anyway, Robin will be our new tactician." Lissa said.

"Sweet. Can she do this?" Vaike asked and let out a loud belch towards me, almost making me faint.

"I have much to learn about the belching arts...Teach." Robin giggled, holding me up.

"Really? Was that truly necessary?" Maribelle chided and turned to Robin. "And you! Don't encourage him, and I thought you'd be made with finer cloth."

What is it...pick on newcomers day? I thought as she walked off.

"Don't take it to heart, you two." Sumia said. "She's like that to every newcomer."

"Sure looks like it." I said as Chrom walked in.

"Captain!" Sumia said and tripped over loose sheets of paper as she started towards him, landing flat on her face.

"Sumia? Is it those boots again?" Chrom asked.

"No...Yes..." She stammered and sighed, immediately giving up.

"Okay...just be careful." He said and turned to the rest of us. "Listen up, Shepherds! Tomorrow morning we're leaving for Regna Ferox."

"What's up?" I asked, feeling less queasy from Vaike's belch.

"We need support. After what happened to Southtown, Emmeryn decided to ask for help." He explained. "This trip is highly voluntary, so-"

"I'll go!" Lissa said before he could finish.

"I'm in!" Vaike said. "It's about time I got back out there."

"Uh...I don't know." Sumia whimpered. "I fear that I'll just get in the way."

"Are you sure?" The armored guy asked. "You've done pretty well during training."

"Yeah, but I don't have much experience in real combat." She said.

"If it's fine with you, you can stay back and watch in case we run into trouble." Chrom said. "It's better to get experience during the fight."

"Okay...yeah, sure." She said, looking relieved.

"Okay, I need to get some rest." Chrom said. "I don't know about you, but I'm tired."

"I'm in for that too." I said. "Long day, yesterday."

"Alright. I'll show you two your quarters." He said and led us upstairs, into a long hallway with lots of open doors.

"You can probably tell we don't get a lot of recruits." He said. "Before you two, Sumia was the youngest member."

"So I guess I'm the youngest now." I said. "I'm only seventeen."

He chuckled. "Maybe. Anyway, I'm happy to have you aboard."

He pointed to one of the empty rooms. "Robin, here's yours. Make yourself at home."

She nodded with a grateful smile and walked in, closing the the door behind her.

"She's tired." I said.

"After last night, who can blame her?" Chrom chuckled. "I'm tired, myself."

I nodded in agreement and noticed my torn jacket. "Man...I loved this jacket." I groaned, looking at one of the holes on the back. "Nowi made this for me two days before I was supposed to leave."

"She's your sister, right?" He asked.

"Adoptive." I corrected. "But...she feels like a true one. She's the only family I've got left."

"Not anymore." Chrom said. "Among the Shepherds, everyone here is family."

"Tell that to your Paladin." I muttered.

"She's tough, yes...she'll warm up to you. I know it." He said and put his hand on my shoulder. "And I promise we'll help you find your sister. She's alive...I'm sure if it."

I smiled. "Thanks, Chrom." I said and walked into the room he assigned me to.

"Oh hey...I almost forgot to give you this." Chrom said, handing me a dark leather jacket with the mark of the exalt on the right shoulder. "Consider it a "Welcome to the Shepherds" present."

I chuckled and took it. "Thanks, Chrom. I'll do my best."

"I'm sure you will." He said. "Get some rest. We're leaving early tomorrow."

I nodded and walked in, putting my ruined jacket on the bed with the new one and dropping my weapons on the stand at the back of the room, then plopped on the bed, completely exhausted.

I'm a Shepherd now. I thought, gazing out the window as the sun began to set. Home sweet home...I guess.

I took another look at my mark on my hand. I remembered Byron trying his best to protect me my whole life, but he never got a chance to tell me why. I think he was about to, then those Plegian thugs came and killed him.

"Byron...I'll find Nowi. I promise." I said to the heavens. "Then I'll find out what those Plegians called me and why."

**alright then, Soren and Robin are Shepherds. **

**oh yeah, a friend of mine, Grovylethegreat, is doing an OC story of her own, so be sure to check it out. **


	4. Chapter 4

**hey, what's up everybody? Here's chapter four. This one was fun, so I hope u enjoy it. **

Chapter 4: The Road Ahead.

(Soren)

"Hey runt, wake up!" I heard Sully shout when I suddenly felt the butt of a sword smack me square in the gut.

I could only bend over and accidentally fell off my bed.

"Rookie." I heard Sully chuckle.

Gods I hate that lady! I thought as I got up and got dressed, putting on my new jacket.

"Hey, you okay?" A kid standing in the doorway asked as I put on my gear.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said. "I don't think I've met you before."

"I'm Ricken." He said. "I'm Miriel's apprentice."

"Nice to meet you, Ricken." I said, checking my bow. "You coming with us?"

He shook his head. "No...Chrom won't let me. He says I'm too young."

I smiled. "I'm sure he has his reasons. Don't worry, I'm sure your chance will come."

He nodded. "Oh...don't mind Sully. Sure, she's a pain sometimes, but she'll warm up to ya."

I hope so. I thought. "Well, catch you later." I said and headed to the lobby.

"Alright, here's the deal:" I heard Chrom as I walked down the stairs. "As you all know, Plegia hopes to start another war with us, and we have an undead threat on our soil as well. Our defenses aren't doing so well for the moment, so the Exalt has asked us to go to Regna Ferox to ask for support."

"Won't that leave us defenseless?" Stahl, another knight asked.

"No. We've got Phila and her Pegasus knights patrolling the area overhead." Chrom assured him. "The trip won't be long, either, so we should be back before anything happens."

"Understood." The knight said.

"Any other questions?" Frederick asked.

No one answered.

"Alright. Let's get going." The prince said and pushed oped the garrison doors, leading us out of the city.

(Lucina/Marth)

"I had to come at this weather?!" I grumbled as I trudged through the thick snow, heading towards the gates to the Western entrance of Ferox.

"Halt!" One of the guards shouted. "State your business!"

"I come to speak with Khan Basilio!" I replied.

For a moment, they were silent. Probably debating whether I was a threat or not.

"Are you Plegian?" One of the guards asked. "Because if you are, we want nothing to do with you."

Good, so they hate Gangrel as much as Ylisse. I thought. "No. I have no ties with Gangrel."

"I'll be the judge of that." A voice said from behind the gate. I looked through the square holes to see a well built man with an eyepatch covering his right eye.

I immediately recognized him from the books. He's Basilio.

"So you're the visitor, eh?" He asked and chuckled. "Funny, usually I get more than one trying to seek an audience."

He looked over to the guard. "Let him in. I'll talk to him."

"Sir...are you sure?" One of the guards asked. "What if it's a trap?"

"If it is, I'll be ready." The man assured him. "I'm a Khan, aren't I"

"Good point." He muttered and looked at me. "I'll let you in, stranger, but we've got our eye on you."

"Understood." I said as the gate started to rise.

"Come on in." Basilio said. "Let's talk somewhere warmer, shall we?"

* * *

><p>"So, what can I do for you?" Basilio asked, taking his seat on his throne.<p>

"I've come to take part in the tournament you're holding against the east Khan." I said. "From what I'm told, this marks the end of your five year reign, yes?"

"Yes, but if I win this tournament, I'll still be in power." He said.

"All the same...I think you'll need me." I assured him.

"What makes you think that?" He asked, pointing to the wall, where a man named Lon'Qu stood with his arms crossed. "Lon'Qu is my finest champion."

"Perhaps, but my speed and strength really surpasses his." I said.

"You think me weak?!" Lon'Qu demanded, storming towards me with his sword drawn.

"Enough!" Basilio said and scratched his chin. "You're quite a challenger. Okay, here's the deal, if you can defeat Lon'Qu, you'll be my new champion in the ring."

"Sounds fair." I said, drawing my sword.

"I warn you, Lon'Qu doesn't fall easily." Basilio guffawed as Lon'Qu aimed his sword at me.

Suddenly, he dove towards me with alarming speed.

I managed to block both his strikes and swung my sword at him, but he blocked it and kicked me back.

I almost laughed. This guys more powerful than I thought.

I stood up and braced myself as he prepared for another lunge.

I'm not backing down.

(Soren)

"Alright, we'll rest here for a bit." Chrom announced.

"Finally." Lissa groaned, sitting in s nearby log.

"We haven been traveling that much, and you're wiped out?" I asked.

"Come on, I'm not used to this, okay?" She retorts, rubbing her foot.

I laughed and sat beside her. "I'll tell ya, I've never walked this much either."

"We don't have much farther." Chrom said, looking over his map. "But it'll start to get cold later."

"Eh. The cold doesn't bother me." I said when I heard a horse's whinny. "What was that?"

"That wasn't ours." Stahl said, petting his horse's neck.

"Let's go check it out." Chrom said. "Soren, Robin, come on. I might need your help."

"Got it." We replied in unison and followed him as he crept along a boulder, variously glancing over.

"Wow...what's a beauty like this one doing out here?" He asked rhetorically and sheathed his sword. "Come on, but come slowly. This one looks startled."

I nodded, slowly glancing over the Boulder to find a beautiful white pegasi with its wing caught in a snare.

"That doesn't look good." I said and pulled out my hand-axe, slowly walking towards her, only she started to freak out, tugging hard on her wing.

"Soren, back off." Chrom said. "That beast is crazed."

"We can't just leave her here, writhing in pain." I said.

"I can help." Sumia said, running up to us, only to trip on a small pebble, landing flat on her face.

"Sumia?" I asked.

"I'm fine." She replied, quickly getting back up.

"Well, go no closer. The beast is crazed." Chrom said.

"No, it's fine. I can handle it." She assured him and slowly stepped forward, petting the pegasi's muzzle.

What surprised me was that she calmed it down.

"Woah...Sumia..." I said.

"How'd you do that?" Chrom asked.

"I'm not too sure. I just...have a way with animals." She said.

"Well, at least the pegasi's calm." I said when I noticed something in the corner of my eye."

"Look out!" I yelled and quickly shot a dark figure running towards her and the pegasi.

"Risen!" Chrom said as the figure dissipated.

"Risen?" I asked, drawing my swords.

"The council decided to give our new threat a name, so we decided on this one." Frederick said.

"I could've just called them "walkers"." I said.

"I'll just call them dead once I shove my axe up their...where's my axe?" Vaike asked, looking around.

"Vaike, we don't have time for this!" Chrom said.

"I'm serious, I had it right here!" He retorted.

"Just stay behind me!" I said as I shot a charging Risen.

"Alright, listen up!" Frederick said, running his spear through three Risen soldiers. "Especially those of you who BROUGHT weapons. Our objective is clearing this path from the Risen so that we can travel safely to Ferox."

"Got it!" I said and hacked down three of the undead with my swords.

"This would be a lot more fun if I had my axe!" Vaike grumbled as he evaded the blade of a Risen's weapon.

I quickly pulled an arrow out of my quiver and shot it in the head, killing it immediately.

"Thanks." Vaike replied.

I nodded when I felt something tower over me. I quickly spun around, knocking it off its feet and finished him with three arrows in the chest.

Then I noticed the axe lying in the dirt.

"Vaike, catch!" I said and chucked the weapon at him.

He turned around just in time to catch it and drive it's blade through a Risen's head.

"WOO!" He said, panting. "That's best move the Vaike can make."

"Don't get too cocky!" Chrom said. "We're not out of this yet."

"You said it!" I told him as I drove my sword through a Risen's gut, then pulled it out and slashed it across the face.

"Nice one!" Chrom said and turned to Robin. "Alright, what's your plan, Robin? Guide our swords."

"Milord, I would advise you to be patient with our tactician." Frederick said as he held off some undead with his lance. "She can't always direct us."

"For once, I agree with Frederick." I said. "We'd have to make our own choices in battle."

"Alright. I just hate not knowing what the plan is." Chrom said and looked over the small river that separated us from the rest of the undead. "Not much left over there."

"Then let's finish them." Sully said and charged towards them with Stahl, running through three of them with her lance while her horse bucked two others on the head.

Show off. I thought as I ran into the fight and blocked the blow of one's sword.

"Soren, watch out!" I heard Robin yell when a body fell to the ground behind me. I looked over my shoulder and saw that I was a dissipating Risen mercenary.

"Thanks!" I said and smacked the soldier I was currently fighting with square in the head. It only dazed it enough for me to finish him off with a sword in the chest.

"Was that the last one?" I asked, panting hard.

"I would suppose so." Chrom said.

"Milord, if the Risen have made it this far...I don't think any road is safe anymore." Frederick said.

"I suppose you're right." He agreed. "We'll have to camp here for the night. Let's make camp and get some rest."

"You got it, boss." Sully said and roughly bumped me. "Get to work, runt."

"Hey, back off!" Robin snapped.

Sully just rolled her eyes and walked off.

"Gods...I hate that woman!" I grumbled.

"She's a tough one." She muttered and patted my shoulder. "Hey, you seem to know a lot about strategy."

I shrugged. "Byron taught me things here and there." I said.

"Well, mind if I teach you some things?" She asked. "It'd give us something to do when we're not busy killing the undead."

I chuckled and nodded. "Sure. I don't mind."

"Great. We can start tonight." She said and walked over to Chrom.

I smiled. Something about her and Chrom...it made me feel like I truly belonged in this group.

(Robin)

Later that night, I was busy looking through my books, trying to find a good topic to start with for Soren when Chrom walked up.

"Doing some studying?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'm trying to find something good to start off with." I replied.

"Hey...look, I'm sorry about earlier." He said. "I guess the stress was getting the better of me."

"That can happen." I giggled. "You're fine. Having to deal with Plegians and the undead can really get to you."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

I smiled and continued flipping through the pages, slamming the book in frustration. "I can't believe this. There's nothing here that'll help."

"Looks like the stress is getting to you too, huh?" He laughed. "You should relax. Put your feet up. Experienced soldiers rest when they can. You never know when a battle might break out."

"I've noticed. After everything that happened with Southtown and the Risen, we barely had any time to even eat." I muttered.

"Heh. It's been a tough road. I'll admit." He said and looked at the horizon. "Something tells me this'll only get worse."

I smiled and yawned. "I try to rest when I can. After all, a lady could use her beauty sleep."

There was an awkward silence.

"What? Did I say something?" I asked.

"Uh...no! It's nothing!" He stammered. "I just...I didn't consider you the type to care for beauty and such. I guess I never thought of you as a lady."

Wait...what? I thought and looked at him. "Excuse me?!"

"Agh! No! I don't mean it like that." He said, waving his hands defensively. "That is to say a "lady", per se...uh...you know, you're a fighter and a tactician and...I'm not saying you can't, I just...Gods, this is going nowhere fast."

I shook my head. "Good grief, Chrom. You're the scion of a noble family, right? Didn't they teach you manners?"

"Of course they did!" He said. "I just..."

"Well, I'm sure they taught you how to speak to lady." I said as I picked up a small rock from the ground.

"It's not like that, I just...my image of a "lady" is just prim and proper...perfumed and...pretty...uh, what are you doing with that pebble?"

I started tossing it around in my hand. "I think a good blow to the head might fix you up."

"Oh! Wait! I just forgot!" He said, jumping back on his feet. "Uh...Frederick wanted to see what was up with Sully."

Just as I chucked the stone at him, he was gone in an instant, dodging it as he ran.

Unfortunately, it hit Soren on the side of his head with a loud THWACK!

"Ow! What the heck?" He asked.

"Oops...I'm so sorry." I said checking on him. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm alright." He said, rubbing the wound. "I have a hard head anyway."

I laughed. "Well, I'm glad you're fine."

"What was that about, anyway?" He asked. "Chrom just took off as if his cape was on fire."

"It was a misunderstanding." I assured him.

"Okay. Well, I'm ready for some of your tutoring, unless you're gonna chuck another stone at somebody." He chuckled.

I smiled. "Well, let's just start with the basics." I said and pointed at the map I had laid on my lap.

Just as I was explaining a concept to my new student, I noticed Chrom sitting beside the tree, smiling.

I smiled back and continued tutoring Soren.

To be honest, I didn't see Chrom as a gentlemen anyway, so I can't blame him for his poor lack of manners.

**Honestly! Can't Sully lay off for once?!**

**ill say, I enjoyed that support conversation Chrom first had with the female avatar in the game, so I just had to add it, just with a little tweak to it. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, what's up? Here's the fifth chapter. **

Chapter 5: A Misunderstanding

(Chrom)

I'll admit, I felt bad for last night. When it comes to a lady, it's hard to put the right words together.

Anyway, as we continued our journey to Ferox, it started getting pretty cold.

"Ho...wow!" Soren said, crossing his arms. "It's colder than I remember."

"You came here before?" Robin asked.

"Yeah...a...couple times." He stammered. "Byron...used to...take me here...a lot."

"What a wimp." Sully chuckled as she brushed by him.

"Here, let me help." Robin said and formed a small fireball in her hand, placing it above Soren's shoulder. "There. Now it'll keep you warm."

"Hey, thanks." He said as he straightened up and looked at his mark. "I wonder if there is an ability where the cold can't bother me."

"You might have to unlock it." Miriel said. "Some abilities don't come right off the bat."

"I guess so." He grumbled.

"Think you could use that spell of yours on me?" Lissa asked.

"Sure." Robin said and hands her another fireball. "Just be sure not to let someone use a wind spell on it. Otherwise it'll go out."

"I'll be careful." Lissa promised.

I chuckled as I noticed a large grey wall looming into view.

"Looks like we're here." I announced.

"They don't appear to be in the happiest of moods." Virion said. "Their weapons are at the ready."

"They must be on edge." Frederick assumed. "I would advise caution. After the recent events, I'm sure everyone is on edge."

"Right. I'll see if I can get us in." I told him. "Negotiations aren't my strong suit, but it's worth a try."

"Hold, Milord!" Frederick said suddenly. "I don't recommend moving."

"What's up?" Soren asked.

"They're mobilizing." Virion said, squinting as he looked up the Longfort. "They'll let fly in a moments notice."

"We'll have to prepare for battle, to be safe." Frederick advised. "Loath as I am to trust her, Robin might offer some valuable insight."

I nodded. "Right. She's our tactician, after all." I said and turned to her. "What do you suggest?"

"Well, Virion and Soren could stay here for the time being." She said.

"Hey, hold on!" Soren said. "I know these guys. I'm sure they'll let us in."

"I'm not so sure, kid." I told him. "After everything that's happened the last few days, I'd be surprised if they just let us in with open arms."

He sighed. "Okay...I guess you're right."

"Halt! Who's there?" A voice from the top of the wall demanded. The owner of the voice is most likely female.

I stepped forward. "In the name of House Ylisse, I seek an audience with the khans!"

"Not another step, my bold lad!" The shouter replied. "I've got lancers at the ready!"

"Hold, milady! We mean no harm!" Frederick said. "Exalt Emmeryn sent us here to discuss matters of mutual interests!"

"My only interest is keeping you out of Ferox, brigand!"

"Brigand?! Now see here-" Frederick growled when Soren stepped forward.

"Soren, what are you doing?" Robin asked.

"I know that voice." He said. "Raimi! It's me, Soren! Don't you remember?"

"Soren? Impossible...you were told to be dead." The shouter replied.

"Great...just what I need." Soren grumbled. "That's a lie! Listen, just let us in!"

"Do you think me an idiot?! You think you're the first "Ylisseans" to try and cross our border? I've been given the authority to fell such imposters where they stand."

"How dare you! You are in the presence of Prince Chrom, the exalts own blood!" Frederick said.

"Hah! Yes, indeed...and I'm the queen of Valm!" Raimi replied. "You do realize that impersonating royalty is a capital offense, yes? Perhaps we shall settle this the Feroxi way."

"You claim to be the prince? Then prove it on the battlefield!" She hollered.

"Emmeryn's not going to like this." I grumbled. "Please, good lady! If you'd just listen-"

"Chrom, watch out!" Soren shouted and drew his swords.

Confused, I glanced up the wall just to see three of the armored guards throw their lances at me.

Before they could strike me, something flew between them and threw off off my feet, and before I knew it, I was flying on a pegasus.

I looked to the front and realized that the person responsible for that save was Sumia, confidently glaring at our attackers.

"Better hold on tight, captain." She said. "This can get bumpy."

I looked at the ground. "Uh...right."

She giggled and looked at me. "You'll be fine."

I grinned and noticed the Feroxi were aiming their second wave of lances at us.

"Sumia!" I said and drew my sword.

"Right!" She replied and guided her pegasus back to where the other Shepherds were standing.

"Talk about a timely save." Soren laughed as I hopped off. "Nice one, Sumia."

"Thanks." She replied.

I grinned and stared at the guards. "So, they want to settle things their way, huh? That's fine with me."

(Soren)

"Hold on...we're gonna kill them?!" I asked.

"Only if they give us a reason to." Frederick said. "The only thing we really want is Ferox's support in case a war starts."

"What's the plan, Robin?" Chrom asked.

"Okay, half of us will take Raimi and her troops while the other half takes care of the lancers." She said.

"Sounds good to me." Chrom said. "Remember, don't kill them unless they give you a reason to."

"Yes, captain!" We replied.

Something still bugged me, however. "Chrom, Raimi...she was another mentor of mine before all heck broke loose."

"I understand." He said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "But they want us to prove ourselves as true Ylisseans. Let's do that."

I nodded. "Yes sir."

He grinned and turned to Robin. "Let's go! I'll take the other half."

She nodded. "Okay. Stahl, Virion, Sully, and Soren...you'll come with me."

"Got it!" I replied and braced myself. Whatever's been happening here, I seriously hope it doesn't cause problems for Ylisse.

Suddenly, both doors on either side flew open, and mercenaries and warriors files out, heading towards us in a frenzy.

Oh gods...this won't end well. I thought as I kicked one in the gut and smacked him upside the head with the butt of my sword.

You'd do the same to me in my position. I thought as I blocked a blow from another Feroxi warrior, who got bucked hard on the side by Sully's horse.

"Move it, runt!" She said. "Your tactical girlfriend's already made it up the stairs!"

I didn't even think about what she'd just said. All I knew what to do was getting the job done.

Besides, there's no way I'd have feelings for Robin. The way I see it...she's better off with Chrom.

Once I made it to the top of the stairs, I was jumped by one of the armored soldiers as he tried to get my swords out of my hands.

"Don't make me do this!" I warned as I pressed my free hand against his armor. Before I knew what I did, I shocked him, leaving him on the ground writhing. Then I realized I did it with my marked hand.

"I seriously need to get control of this thing." I told myself as I retrieved my weapons and ran to help Robin and Stahl, who were fending off too many mercenaries.

"Hang on!" I yelled and slid underneath one of them, swiping him off his feet with the flat ends of my blades.

"Nice one." Stahl said. "Where'd you learn that?"

I looked towards Raimi, who was busy fending off another armored soldier.

Wait...haven't I see that color armor before? Back at the garrison?

"When did Kellam get there?" Stahl asked.

"He's been there the whole dang time!" Sully said.

"Well, it doesn't matter! He won't last a minute in there." I said and dashed towards the fight before Robin could stop me.

I grabbed my small axe and pulled Raimi off her feet before she could deal a blow on Kellam.

I quickly shoved my sword into the ground to stop myself from sliding, glaring at my opponent.

"Raimi, stop!" I said as she stood up. "We're the real deal!"

"Then prove it." She said and ran towards me, lunging with her lance.

I jumped to the side and smacked the blade away with my swords.

Before she could recover, I kicked her in the side, knocking her off her feet again.

That's the problem with bulky armor. I thought. They just slow you down.

Not to mention hot.

I stood beside her, ready for another attack when she suddenly swiped her shaft of her lance under my feet, but I recovered just in time and slashed her armor with my sword and held the top of the other at her throat.

She stared at me in disbelief and sighed. "Wow...Byron has taught you a lot. Very well, I yield."

I grinned and sheathed my swords, shaking her hand.

"It's been awhile, kid." She laughed. "Three years, right?"

I nodded. "Yep." I said and noticed the fight was still on. "Do you mind-"

"Oh...right." She chuckled and whistled. "It's alright, boys! They're the real deal."

I thought one of the guards would start an argument, but instead they stopped fighting in an instant.

"Wow...you really must've done something to show these guys who's boss." I chuckled.

She guffawed and patted me hard on the back. "You never change, Soren."

"How's Byron?"

I vowed my head. I wish she hadn't asked that. "Byron...he...he was killed."

"What?! When?" She demanded.

"Four days ago I think." I said sadly. "Raimi, I'm sorry. I know you two were good friends."

She sighed. "I should've known. One of the brigands impersonated you two days ago, saying the Ylisseans killed Byron. When we drove them away...he said that you were killed."

"They're Plegians." Chrom said, walking up. "They're the ones to blame."

"Yes, of course." She said. "Come. I'm sure Flavia would like to see you, now that we know you're the real deal."

"Thank you." Chrom said.

Raimi smiled and turned to lead us inside.

"Wow...her perspective just changed." Robin said as we followed.

"That's the way the Feroxi are here." Frederick said. "Here, actions speak louder than words."

"You got that right." I chuckled.

* * *

><p>Once we walked into the great hall of the palace, Raimi told us to wait as she went to fetch the khan.<p>

"Wait, where'd the khan be?" Robin asked.

"Mostly training, I'd wager." Chrom said. "The khans prefer battle to politics."

He chuckled. "Or rather, battle IS their politics."

"A warrior ruler, eh?" She asked, rubbing her chin. "I can picture him now...a giant man with unparalleled thew, his broad chest covered with hair...hehehe."

"Oh really? Please, do go on." A familiar voice said behind her.

I almost laughed as Flavia, the east khan, walked up to us with a big smirk on her face.

Robin looked dumbstruck. "Whoops..."

"You're the-?! Er, that is to say...the khan, I presume?" Chrom said.

Flavia laughed. "One of them, yes. I'm the East-Khan."

"Flavia, it's been awhile." I chuckled.

She looked at me and guffawed. "Soren?! Holy...look how you've grown!" She said in disbelief. "How's Byron and that manakete...what's her name again?"

I turned away. "Nowi. She...she was captured."

"What?! When?" She demanded when Raimi whispered something in her ear.

"Oh...I'm so sorry." She said sadly. He...he was a good man."

I nodded. "The only family I had."

"Yes, I suppose." She said. "I'm sorry for the trouble at the borders, Prince Chrom. You are always welcome to Ferox."

"Thank you, but I'm confident we can put this misunderstanding behind us." He said.

"Is it true that bandits are posing as us?" I asked.

She nodded. "I'm afraid so. They're hope to start a war between us and your people. The Plegian dogs!"

Chrom cursed and I sighed. "Great. Just what we need."

"Heh. I wouldn't worry about delicacy here. We appreciate plain speech."

"Oh. Well in that case, maybe you should have a word with your dang border guards."

I snickered and Flavia guffawed. "That's the way to do it!" She said. "You and I are going to get along just fine."

"Listen...I know why you came." She said. "And regrettably...I can't provide Ylisse with any of my troops."

"What?! Why not?" Lissa asked.

"I lack the authority." She said.

"Wait...you're the khan, right?" Chrom asked.

"Like I said, I'm one of them." She grumbled. "Here in Ferox, the khans of east and west hold a tournament every five years to have total sovereignty over both kingdoms."

"That means the other khan has the say when it comes to alliances." I said. "Great."

"So we're to receive no aid at all?" Chrom asked.

Flavia smiled. "Not with that attitude. You actually came right on time. The next tournament is nigh, and I am in the need of some champions."

"What does that have to do with us?" Robin asked.

"Well, Raimi here tells me that you and your shepherds are quite capable." She said. "Besides, she did train one of your own."

"Perhaps you can consider representing the East in the coming tournament. If you win, I'll grant you your alliance." She said.

"I guess the Ylisseans had no place in such Feroxi traditions." Chrom assumed.

"Well, we khans don't fight, so they choose champions to represent them." She said. "And we don't involve our own kin in the matter, so we let outsiders join. It's your choice, of course."

"It's not like we have one." I said.

"Soren's right. Our kingdom is desperate." Chrom added. "Not only are we constantly attacked by Plegian brigands, but also the undead creatures."

"If fighting for you is the quickest way to get help, then we'll take up our steel." He concluded.

Flavia guffawed. "I like you, Chrom. I do hope you survive the tournament. If you'll follow me, I'll show you the arena where the tournaments held."

(Lucina/Marth)

"Hey, hold on...where's Lon'Qu?" One of the wizards asked as Basilio and I walked in. "And who's this?"

"Our new champion." The West-Khan replied, still in disbelief over my victory. "You got a problem, lad?"

"No...if it means it'll keep us in power, I'm in."

"Good. Flavia's should be coming any time now, so you'd best prepare yourselves." He grunted and walked off.

"So...how did you beat Lon'Qu anyway?" Another one of the champions asked.

I faced him. "He just...left himself open."

**all right then, that went well. But yeah, now we know a little more of Soren's past. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, Happy New Years everybody! Here's a new chapter to start us off.**

Chapter 6: The Ferox Tournament.

(Chrom)

As we waited for the tournament to start, I watched as Soren nervously peered through the small hole in the door.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked.

"I don't know...I've never been in a tournament before." He chuckled. "Especially one where you can get killed."

"You'll be okay." Robin assured him.

"What's your plan?" I asked her.

She shrugged. "It's hard to think of something if I don't know what I'm up against. If I can get a good look at the other Khan's champions, that's when I can come up with something."

I nodded in understanding.

"Hey, listen...about the night before...I'm sorry." I said.

She shook her head. "Nah, it's okay. To be honest, I never saw you as much of a gentlemen anyway."

I chuckled as the large doors started opening.

What was funny was Soren yelping in surprise and grabbing his swords.

"Relax." I laughed. "You'll be okay."

"We'll see." Sully muttered as she walked past us, sharpening her sword.

I grumbled as I followed her and the other Shepherds into the large colosseum.

"Woah...big place." Robin said.

I nodded. "Yeah...enough space to hold a war."

She giggled and suddenly paused, eyes widening as she pointed to the other side.

I looked over my shoulder and sighed. It was Marth.

"What is Marth doing here?" Soren asked.

"I don't know." I said and stepped forward. "Hey! Marth!"

He didn't reply, and even if he did, I wouldn't have heard him anyway. Not with the size of this coliseum.

But to my surprise, he started walking forward.

"Looks like he wants to offer parley." Soren said.

"Maybe." I said and started walking forward, gripping the handle of myself.

Once I got the the edge of the inner circle, I looked at Marth, observing his stance.

For a second I thought I heard him take a deep breath, but I shook away the thought. "Hey, one question before we begin." I said.

He said nothing and tightened his grip.

I shrugged. "Fine...we'll let our swords speak for us!" I said and drew Falchion, holding it in a defensive position.

Much to my astonishment, so was he. Only...with the same sword?

"Where'd you get that?" I demanded, staring at it in confusion.

He only moved his feet in a attack position without a word.

I shook my head. "There's no way..." I said and charged towards him, swinging my sword at him.

He blocked it and pushed my sword away, giving him a chance to attack me.

I managed to block his attacks a few time, locking my sword with his.

"Tell me, who taught you to fight like this?" I demanded.

He said nothing, but instead pushed me away again and put himself at a lunging position.

I copied his stance, and we lunged at each other, striking our blades against each other.

I spun around just in time to see him jump towards me. I jumped aside to evade his attack.

"My father!" He said and pointed his sword at me.

I glared at him. "I guess this'll be a fight to the death, then."

"Marth does seem to be a gifted swordsman, Chrom." Robin warned. "It's best to keep our distance until we're ready."

"Leave him to me." Soren said, spinning his swords in his hands. "I'll take care of him."

"No, Soren." I told him. "Just stay here. We'll take him on later."

He nodded without so much of a protest. "Understood."

I grinned and readied myself as two warriors jumped towards us, only to get blasted back with a fire and thunder spell.

"We'll take these fools." Miriel said as she and Robin slammed their books closed.

"Chrom, behind you!" Robin yelled.

I turned around just in time to see a knight lunge his spear towards me.

Suddenly, Soren jumped in the way and blocked it with both swords.

"Now!" He said.

I didn't even hesitate as I drew my rapier and stabbed through the Knight's armor, killing him.

"Thanks for that." I said.

He smiled and nodded. "Just making sure we still have our commander." He said.

I chuckled and noticed another warrior running towards him.

"Look out!" I said and jumped over Soren, striking his pursuer across the chest.

"Great...now I owe you one." Soren laughed.

"Consider us even." I told him, glancing over to Marth, who just stood there, ready for another duel.

I only walked up to him, gripping my sword tightly.

"Who is your father?" I asked.

"I've said too much, good sir." He replied.

I scoffed. "So be it. But just to let you know, Lissa owes you her life, and for that you have my gratitude. But within these walls, I represent the East-Khan and the interests of Ylisse."

"I can't promise to stay my blade, but I vow not to shame you." I told him.

He smiled. "I never expected such youthful arrogance..." He said and readied his sword. "We'll see who shames who!"

I braced myself as he jumped towards me, raising his duplicate Falchion over his head.

"Not this time!" Soren said and blocked it, pushing him back. "Back off!"

Marth just looked at him and grinned. "This should be interesting." He said and struck again.

Soren blocked it a second time and used his free sword to try to attack his side, but Marth ducked to avoid it and kicked him back.

I dashed passed past Soren and smacked my sword against Marth's.

"Too slow." He said and pushed my sword away and was about to strike when he was blasted to the ground by wind magic.

"I told you to back off!" Soren said, drawing his swords.

"I won't be bested easily." He warned. "May the best warrior win."

"Bring it!" Soren replied, bracing himself as his opponent lunged at him.

He sidestepped and knocked his blade downward into the ground, giving him a chance to strike.

Unfortunately, Marth happened to have figured out his plan and kicked him in the gut, knocking him off his course.

"I'll take over!" I said and jumped past him, swinging my sword upwards to knock Marth's out of his hand.

He quickly recovered and smacked me in the chest with the butt of his sword, knocking the wind out of me.

"Chrom!" Soren yelled and used his wind magic on Marth, knocking him off his feet.

"I'll handle him." He said, drawing his swords.

Before I could stop him, he dashed towards our opponent, colliding each other's swords together.

Then...I had no idea how Soren did it, but he jumped over Marth's head and kicked him hard in the back, knocking him down.

As Marth tried to get back up, he ended up with the tip of one of Soren's swords at his neck.

"Soren...how...how did you do that?" I asked in amazement.

He shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. It just...happened." He said and faced Marth with a grin on his face. "What say you?"

Marth only chuckled. "I'll admit...that was impressive...if not surprising." He said and dropped his sword. "I submit."

I don't know how Soren could've done that move like he did. I'll admit, I wasn't the only one impressed. Miriel wouldn't leave the poor kid alone. She said she wanted to take notes on it, and kept pestering him for an logical answer.

"Miriel, I promise you, I have no idea how that happened." Soren said, exasperated. "I don't even remember doing it."

"Well, it doesn't matter." Flavia laughed. "You did me a huge favor, kid."

Soren blushed. "It was nothing."

"Oh, it was something alright." I said.

"Hey, where'd Marth go?" Robin asked.

I looked to where Marth was moments ago, only to find him gone.

"Man...strange guy." Soren muttered and laughed. "He put up an awesome fight back there. I still think he'd be a really good ally."

I nodded. "I know what you mean." I said and patted his shoulder. "But that...was quite a move, kid."

"I haven't felt this good in ages!" Flavia said. "It's been too long since the last time I was in charge."

"So...I guess we get your support?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yes. From here on, Ferox will be sending your halidom support in case of any crisis."

"Thank you." I said.

She laughed. "I should be thanking you! Come friends, let's celebrate!"

And with that she took off, leaving us laughing.

"Someone's excited." Robin said.

I chuckled. "Yeah. The khans are known to be that way."

"Oh great." A voice grumbled behind me. "Any excuse for one, and she's on it."

I turned around to see a more buff man with an eyepatch, glaring at me.

"I'm sorry...have we met before?" I asked.

He chuckled. "I am the West-Khan you so rudely removed from power." He said.

"Hey, all due respect," Soren said. "We're kind of in a crisis here."

"Relax, kid." He said and chuckled. "You're the one that bested my new champion. That was quite a move, Soren."

"How do you know me?" He asked. "I don't remember meeting you."

"You were a whelp when your old pal Byron came here once." He said. "Speaking of which, how is he? I've been wanting to tell the old man hello for some time now."

Soren looked away. "He's...dead." He told him.

The West-Khan looked at him with sorrow. "I'm sorry, kid." He said. "He'd be proud of ya. He had high hopes for you, I'll tell you that."

"Speaking of your champion, what do you know of him?" I asked curiously.

He scratched his bald head. "You mean that Marth fella? He's just some sellsword with delusions of grandeur." He said. "All I know is that he came up one eve and knocked my old champion flat."

"It was love at first sight." He guffawed. "And I'm too old for such things."

"He's so dark and mysterious." Lissa sighed.

"Sounds like Marth's got one fan." Robin said.

"Well, I mean. C'mon...he is sorta dreamy, isn't he?" She asked.

I turned to her. "You're sort of dreaming, Lissa."

She giggled. "Oh, lighten up, big brother. I was only kidding."

"Milord? Milady? If this fascinating discussion is over, we'd best return home." Frederick said. "Lady Emmeryn would want news of our new alliance immediately."

I sighed. "Right as ever." I told him. "Go tell the other Shepherds to get ready to go home."

"Hold on, boy." The West-Khan said. "Before you go, I've got a little present for ya."

As soon as he said it, a young myrmidon walked up to us. He didn't look too happy.

"This is Lon'Qu, my former champion." The khan said. "He's not much for talkin, mind you, but he's peerless with a sword or two."

"As good as Marth, in my mind." He added and shook his head. "To be honest, I still can't figure out how he bested him so quickly."

"Marth beat him?" Lissa asked, astonished. "But he looks so big and strong."

As she walked up to Lon'Qu, the myrmidon backed away.

"Away, woman." He said.

"Hey...was it something I said?" Lissa asked.

The Khan guffawed. "Let's just say that ladies tend to put Lon'Qu on edge."

"Nonetheless, he is capable. Perhaps he even has the makings of a khan." He added and patted the myrmidons shoulder. "Consider him...West Ferox's contribution to the Ylissean cause."

"You're sure about this?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yep. He's all yours now."

I turned to Lon'Qu. "What about you? Any objections?"

He shook his head. "You give the orders, I stab people. I think both our roles are clear."

I smiled. "Alright...welcome aboard." I said.

"Well, let's head home." Soren said.

I chuckled. "Yeah. Let's give Emm the good news."

(Lucina/Marth)

As I left Ferox, I kept thinking about what Soren did to beat me. No doubt it amazed the shepherds as it did me.

I recalled hearing something about him, with some odd mark on his hand. Maybe that's the reason.

Either that, or he's just lucky. I thought.

"Looks like my father isn't the only one I'll be keeping an eye on." I told myself and grinned. "Besides, I could use a rematch."


	7. Chapter 7

**hey, what's up guys? Here's chapter 7**

Chapter 7: Gangrel

(Soren)

As soon as we returned to the halidom, all I remember doing is having the longest nap I've ever had.

I'll tell you, going to Ferox after three years, fighting in a tournament, and...whatever I did to Marth...that was enough to wear me out.

But hey...that was my first successful mission as a Shepherd, so that's one thing to be proud of.

* * *

><p>After the long nap, I headed downstairs to find the others feasting on breakfast.<p>

"Hey, you're up." Stahl said.

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"The whole day." Vaike chuckled. "Stahl wanted to wake you up with a bucket of water, but I told him not to."

"That is not true!" Stahl retorted. "You had the bucket."

I laughed to myself and started dishing up some food when Miriel walked in.

"Ah, Soren..." She said. "There you are."

"Miriel, I told you at least a dozen times." I said. "I have no idea how I did that move."

"I'm not here about that." She said. "Chrom wanted me to bring you to Emmeryn. She'd like a word with you."

"Uh-oh...someone's in trouble." I heard Sully chuckle.

"Knock it off, Sully." Vaike said. "After what happened at Ferox, I think he's getting a medal or something."

"Too early." I told him, smiling as I turned back to Miriel. "I'll go see what it is."

"Chrom also wanted me to find Robin." She added. "Have any of you seen her?"

"You called?" I heard her ask. I looked her to see her groggily walk down the stairs with crazy bed head.

I couldn't help but laugh.

"What?" She asked and felt her head. "Oh...wow, I must've slept like a rock."

"I'll say." I laughed. "That trip must've done a lot to you."

She smiled and turned to Miriel. "Chrom's looking for us?" She asked, trying to straighten her hair.

"Yes. Emmeryn would like to speak to both of you." The mage replied. "Follow me."

As we walked through town, I heard a faint noise, like a fight or something.

Suddenly, a young girl, possibly twelve or thirteen, burst from an alley, running as fast as she could down the road as two thugs chased her.

"What the...what are those two doing?" Miriel asked.

I didn't even bother to answer. "Hey!" I yelled and ran after them, using my wind magic to knock one off his feet.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

He just glared at me. "I don't answer to Shepherds, especially those under "Exalt Emmeryn"."

"We've got this one." Robin said. "Go after the other guy!"

I nodded and took off after them.

It didn't take long to find them. I found the girl cornered while the other thug slowly walk towards her with a dagger.

"End of the line, street rat." He sneered.

"I'd say the same to you." I said, drawing one of my swords.

The ma turned around and glared at me. "Stay out of this, boy! This doesn't concern you."

"It does now, since your buddy back there insulted the Exalt." I said.

"What do I care?" He snapped.

"Well, if you back off right now and leave this girl alone, I'll probably make sure that your stay in prison won't be long." I said.

"I'd rather die than rot in your Exalt's castle. It reeks of her." He said and ran towards me, punching me hard in the face and pushing me into the wall, knocking the wind out of me.

"Pathetic." He said and yelped in pain, holding his side where his own dagger stuck out.

"What the..." He wondered and glared at the girl, who was cowering back the wall.

"You little brat!" He yelled and pulled his knife out, slashing her arm.

"Hey!" I yelled and smacked him upside the head with a brick, knocking him out instantly.

"You should've just taken the offer." I said, rubbing the blood from the side of my lip and turned to the girl. "You okay?"

Fearfully, she nodded and winced as she held her arm.

"Here, let me see it." I said.

She took her hand off the wound, revealing a pretty deep cut.

"That looks pretty bad." I said and smiled. "Come on. I have a friend that can get that wound healed in no time."

As we walked out of the alley, she looked at me in confusion.

"Why would you help me?" She asked.

I looked at her and smiled. "I'm just not the person to let people like you get hurt." I said. "Plus...you remind me of my sister."

She smiled. "Thanks...mister..."

"Soren. Just call me Soren." I said as Robin and Miriel ran up to us.

"Are you okay?" Robin asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. Small bruise, but I'm alright." I said. "But we should get this girl over to Lissa. The wound from the guy's knife left a nice big cut on her arm."

"The thug you tripped is already in custody." Miriel said. "I'll tell the guards to get the other."

I nodded and turned to the girl. "Come on. The castle's not far."

* * *

><p>"What happened? I heard there was a commotion in the streets." Chrom said as we walked in.<p>

He then noticed the girl. "Who's she?"

"This is..." Robin started and sighed as she turned to the girl. "I don't think we got your name."

"I'm Skye." She said.

"Skye, huh?" I asked. "Nice name."

She smiled and looked away shyly.

"Look, we ran into two thugs on the way here." I explained. "They were chasing her, and one of them managed to cut her arm pretty deep."

"Well, it won't do us good getting blood on the floor." Chrom said and knelt down in front of her. "I'll have Lissa tend to your arm right away."

Skye nodded. "Thank you."

"In the meantime..." He said and turned to me and Robin. "Emmeryn would like to talk to you two."

I nodded and had Skye go with the maid, who was told to take her to Lissa.

"Looks like you did a good thing today." Chrom said and chuckled as we headed for the great hall. "I'm surprised you could after the adventure we had."

I laughed. "Oh please...at least I didn't wake up with bed-head." I said as Robin playfully bumped me.

Chrom chuckled again.

"Chrom...when I faced the other thug, he had something against Emmeryn." I said.

He looked away. "Yeah...there are some people like that. I guess to show it, they target innocent victims like your girlfriend back there."

"Hey, she's not my girlfriend!" I retorted. "She's at least three years younger than me."

"Relax, I'm kidding." He laughed and turned to Emmeryn, who was busy talking to one of her guards.

"Emm, I brought them." Chrom told her.

Emmeryn looked at us and smiled. "Welcome. How was your rest?"

I looked at Chrom. "You had to tell her we were sleeping?"

"Hey, she was wondering where you were." He said. "I had to tell her something."

"But I'm sure you needed it." His sister giggled. "I want to recognize you as full fledged Shepherds."

"Hold on, I thought that's Chrom's job." Robin said.

"Well, Emmeryn is the Exalt." He said. "She's the one that gets to recognize you guys. I just boss you around."

"Makes sense." I muttered.

Emmeryn smiled and put her hand on my shoulder. "I do have some news for you, Soren. I'm just...not sure if you'll like it."

"What is it?" I asked nervously.

"We found your sister." Her guard said.

My heart skipped a beat. "You found Nowi? Where is she?"

The guard frowned. "I hate to tell you this...but she's already crossed the Plegian border."

My heart fell. "What...?"

"We were flying overhead and saw a Plegian caravan crossing the border." She explained. "One of their carts had a young manakete girl tied up and gagged as they crossed. I'm sorry."

My hands balled into fists. I could feel the anger rise.

"No doubt they're taking her to slave camps." I said quietly and walked over to a nearby column, softly hitting it.

"Soren..." Robin said, but Chrom stopped her.

"I'm not giving up." I said and turned to them. "If there's a way to save her without starting a war...I'll find it."

Chrom smiled. "We'll help you, kid. I promise."

I nodded, grinning when Phila and Lissa suddenly dashed through the large doors.

"Your Grace!" She called. "There's been another attack!"

"What?! What's happened?" Emmeryn asked.

The guard panted. "The village...far west of here...was attacked by Plegians."

"Oh no...not again." I said.

"Sis...they kidnapped Maribelle!" Lissa said with tears in her eyes.

"What?!" Emmeryn and Chrom said in unison.

"What's worse, the Mad King's saying she attacked their village, and he demands an "apology" for this." Phila said.

"We should just stick a sword in his gut and be done with it!" Chrom said angrily.

"Chrom, please..." Emmeryn said, trying to calm her brother down.

"Emm, the Mad King's been trying to start a war for years." He said. "Ending him would stop all these raids."

"But it would also restart a mistake our father made years ago." The exalt said. "That's something I don't want to repeat!"

She turned to Phila. "I will offer parley with Gangrel."

"You're not serious." I said. "He'll kill you as soon as he sees you!"

"I won't let us go to war, nor let Lady Maribelle die!" She said. "I'm doing this."

"we're going too, then." Chrom said. "Someone's gotta protect you from your good intentions."

Emmeryn smiled at her brother. "Thank you, Chrom."

Chrom turned to me and Robin. "You two go back to the garrison, let everyone know that we're heading out right now."

I nodded. "You got it." I said and dashed out the door with Robin following.

I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of Emmeryn's plan, but if it's to prevent us from going to war, then I'm okay with it.

(Chrom)

As soon as the other Shepherds were alerted, we were well on our way to the border dividing Ylisse and Plegia.

As we approached, an arrow struck the ground just in front of me.

"Stop where you are!" A voice said. "Only the Exalt and the Shepherd come forward."

"Shepherds, hold!" I commanded and stepped forward with Emmeryn, while Gangrel walked towards us with a woman I've never seen before and a barbarian dragging the battered Maribelle.

"Maribelle!" Lissa shouted.

The Duke's daughter looked around, trying to locate Lissa, but her eyes were covered with a blindfold. "Lissa? Is that you? Where are you?"

"Shut it, brat!" Gangrel said and stepped forward. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the Exalt herself."

"Save it, Gangrel!" Emmeryn replied with a tone I've never heard her use before. "You know why we're here. We'd like you to release Maribelle at once."

"Who?" He asked innocently and looked over to her. "Oh yes, the little blonde brat."

"This girl crossed the Plegian border without our consent." The woman said. "What's more, she wounded the brave Plegian soldiers who sought only to escort her safely home."

"Lies!" Maribelle said. "You speak nothing but lies, hag! Did they ever teach you the meaning of the word "truth" in your wretched-crone school!?"

"See? No manners at all." The woman said. "Such a nasty bird simply had to be caged."

"If you don't mind, I suppose we might hear your name before we go on any further." Emmeryn said.

"You may call me Aversa." She replied and pointed to Maribelle. "This girl's violent temper speaks for her guilt. This could could call for a weighty punishment, you know." Gangrel said. "If she were to confess to being an Ylissean spy? It would take an act of considerable amount of faith to repair our relations."

"I have done nothing wrong!" Maribelle said. "It is you who should confess! You're the ones who invaded Ylisse and razed my village! When I attempted to intervene, they took me and dragged me across the border. Let the burned homes of that village serve as my proof."

"It would only prove that Ylisse has a bandit problem." Gangrel said and chuckled. "Which I oft hear of late."

"Your Grace...please." Maribelle begged.

"Peace, Maribelle. I believe you." Emmeryn said and turned to Gangrel. "King Gangrel, I request that you release this woman at once. Surely you and I can sort out hear affairs without the use of hostages."

"Hostages? I know nothing of the matter." He said.

"That's a lie!" Soren shouted, walking forward. "You have my sister!"

"Soren, stay back!" I told him.

"Control your dog, Shepherd!" Gangrel said. "Before he gets someone hurt."

Soren scowled at him, but obeyed by standing next to Robin.

"Now then, your Graceliness, perhaps we can arrange a trade. Your snobbish brat...for the Fire Emblem." Gangrel said and laughed.

"You would ask for Ylisse's royal treasure?" I asked. "Why?"

"I know the legend! The Fire Emblem is the key to have all one's wishes realized. I've desired it for years!"

"The Emblem's power is meant for one purpose, Gangrel." Emmeryn said. "To save the world and it's people at their hour of need. Would you claim a more noble wish?"

"I want what every Plegian wants - a grisly end for every last Ylissean! What could be more noble than that?" He said. "Surely you haven't forgotten what your father did to my people those many years ago. He butchered countless of subjects of my kin."

"I've never denied the wrongdoings, and I have sworn to never repeat them." Emmeryn said. "We are now a realm of peace, and I wish to keep it that way."

"Your realm is a realm of hypocrisy!" Gangrel snarled. "Now give me the Emblem! Guards!"

Out of nowhere, a group of barbarians ran towards us from the side of the cliff.

I'm sorry, Emm. I thought and struck two of them down with Falchion.

"Stay back, or suffer the same fate!" I said.

"Ohh hohoho! Now that's a declaration of war!" Gangrel said and pointed at us. "Kill them, and bring me the Emblem!"

Suddenly, a wind spell was cast on the barbarian holding Maribelle, releasing her from his grip.

"Where'd that come from?" Aversa asked when she and Gangrel were suddenly blasted backwards.

"What in the..." Soren wondered when Ricken ran from behind the cliff wall, helping Maribelle get rid of her blindfold and ropes.

"Ricken? What are you doing here?" I demanded.

"Go! We can talk about this later!" He said.

"The kid's right." Soren said. "Let's get the Exalt back to Ylisse!"

"We're gonna have to do it quick!" Lon'Qu said, pointing up the cliff. "We've got company!"

I looked to the cliff, noticing a large group of Plegians coming towards us.

"Phila, protect the Exalt!" I said, raising my sword in defense. "Shepherds, let's buy them some time!"

"You got it!" Soren said, drawing his swords. "This is for Byron!"

"For Ylisse!" I yelled and clashed my sword against a Plegian myrmidon's, slightly stunning him to let Soren shoot him in the chest with his bow.

Soren managed to put his bow away and and redraw his swords just in time to block a barbarian's axe.

Suddenly, Lon'Qu jumped behind the barbarian and slashed his back with his sword.

"You're no warrior." He said and spat at the body.

"Fight now, lecturing later!" Vaike said and struck another Plegian on the head with his hammer. "Let's dance, Plegians!"

"Don't get cocky, Vaike!" I said as Soren and I defended ourselves back to back.

"This could've gone better." He muttered.

"You got that right." I said. "I'm sorry we could find out more about Nowi."

"Don't worry about it." He said. "Maribelle was the one in trouble, and I wanted to help."

I smiled. "Thanks, kid. I-"

Suddenly, he pushed me out to the side, and an arrow sprouted from his chest.

"SOREN!" I yelled in horror as I grabbed him. "Soren...come on."

He wouldn't wake up, making me fear the worse.

"Come on, kid...wake up!" I begged.

"Chrom, it's no use!" Robin said, grabbing my shoulder. "We've got to get him back to the castle!"

I nodded and took the arrow from Soren's chest, putting him over my shoulder. "Right. Shepherds, fall back! We're done here!"

As we ra down the hill, I took a brief glance back to Gangrel, who smiled slyly as a dark figure jumped behind him.

We just started a war...and I fear it might be worse than the last.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey, what's up everybody? Here's chapter eight. **

Chapter 8: Unpleasant thoughts

(Chrom)

"Out of the way! Go!" I said as we burst through the large doors to the castle, rushing Soren to one of the rooms.

"Lissa, we need your magic!" I heard Robin shout as we ran up the stairs.

"Milord, in here!" Frederick said kicking open one of the doors. "Lay him on the bed!"

"Thanks Frederick." I said and carefully laid Soren on the bed. "Lissa, where are you?"

"I'm here!" She said, dragging Maribelle along. "Two clerics are better than one."

"Okay, okay...just...try to save Soren." I said. She nodded and ran to his side. "It looks bad, but I'll try."

"Just help him!" I snapped when Robin suddenly grabbed my arm.

"Chrom, they've got this." She said. "You need to calm down and let them handle this."

I nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry...Lissa."

She smiled and continued using her staff on Soren's arrow wound.

"Let's step outside." Robin suggested. "Let them have their space."

I nodded and followed her into the hallway.

As we waited for results, I noticed that Robin was crying.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

She shook her head. "I don't know. I mean...Soren...I know I just met him, but...it already feels like we're best friends, and I just-"

"Hey, it's okay." I told her, rubbing her shoulder. "I know how it feels. He's my friend too."

"But what about Nowi?" She asked. "If Soren dies...what will we tell her?"

I didn't want to think about that. "I...I don't know." I said, leaning on the wall. "I don't know."

Suddenly, the door swung open, and Lissa came out. Her face told me that it was bad.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Chrom...the arrow was filled with poison." She said, shaking. Miriel's never seen anything like it.

"What do you mean?" Robin asked.

In response, Soren hollered in pain.

We dashed in to see him writhing on the bed, holding the wound as tight as he could as it made a sizzling sound.

"IT BURNS!" He yelled. "MAKE IT STOP! PLEASE!"

"Help him!" I said.

"I can't!" Miriel said. "I've never seen this kind of thing before."

"We've got to help him." I said and rushed to Soren's side. "Come on, kid, stay with us!"

"Chrom...his mark." Robin said, pointing at his hand.

I grabbed it and noticed the light getting fainter by the minute.

"He's dying!" I said. "We've got to find something for him!"

"I've tried everything, Chrom!" Miriel snapped. "There's nothing about this infernal poison."

"There's got to be something!" I said.

"Milord, I've brought you something!" One of the maids said.

"Not now." I told her.

"Sir...its for Soren."

That got my attention. I looked over to her, seeing a small vial in between her fingertips.

"What is that? Where'd you get it?" I demanded.

"A...a young man can and gave it to me." She explained. "He told me to tell you to pour this liquid on the wound. It'll save him."

"How do we know it'll save him and not kill him?" Frederick asked.

I shook my head and grabbed the vial. "It's worth a try." I said and turned to Miriel and Lissa. "Hold him down!"

"Milord, are you sure this'll work?" Frederick asked.

"There's no time to find out!" I told him. "Just hold his arms to the bed while I poor this on him!"

He obeyed by taking one arm and held it to the bed while Miriel and Lissa held the other.

I rushed to his side and glanced at the vial.

I hope this works. I thought and poured its contents on Soren's wound.

It didn't do anything at first, but then the sizzling stopped, and the wound became nothing but a tiny scar.

Soren stopped writhing and sighed heavily, looking at us with a faint smile.

"That felt good." He said sarcastically and passed out.

Robin and I exchanged glances while Maribelle held her staff over Soren.

"He'll live." She said, sounding relieved. "He'll be out for a while, though."

I sighed with relief as Robin suddenly wrapped her arms around me.

When she realized what she just did, she backed off. "My bad."

I smiled and patted Soren's shoulder. "Rest easy, kid. You could use it."

He didn't respond, and I didn't care. I'm just glad he's alive.

"I recommend he rests at least a day or two before getting back into the action." Miriel said.

I nodded. "I'll be sure to tell him when he comes to."

She smiled and left without another word.

Robin sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Well...at least he's alive."

I chuckled. "Yeah. We should let him rest." I said and frowned. "I suppose I owe Emm an apology."

"Why? What have you done?"

"For starting this war." I told her.

She shook her head. "You didn't start this war, Chrom. Gangrel did." She assured me. "You're right. That monster needs to be put down."

I nodded. "Thanks. I should try to get some rest. Starting tomorrow we'll have to start training the Shepherds harder, that way they're fit for the war."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it." She said. "You go rest. I'll stay here for a bit, then I'll talk with the Shepherds."

I chuckled. "Thanks, Robin."

She smiled. "No problem. Now go get some sleep."

I laughed to myself as I walked down the hallway, heading to my room.

The next thing I know, I was laying on my bed, sound asleep.

* * *

><p>Later that day, I woke up to the smell of cooked venison.<p>

Smells like dinner. I thought as I got up and stretched as someone knocked on my door.

"Yes?" I asked, rubbing my neck.

"Milord, it's Frederick." The visitor replied.

"Oh...right...come in." I said.

The door opened slightly, and Frederick walked in. "Emmeryn was wondering what had happened to you."

"Why? Didn't Robin tell her where I was?" I asked.

He shook his head. "She said you didn't ask her to."

Oh...whoops. I thought. "Never mind that. What's going on?"

"Well, Soren woke up. He's groggy, but he's doing well." He explained. "That girl he rescued this morning was wondering if she could pay him a visit."

I nodded. "Yeah, she's fine." I told him. "Just let me get him some food."

"That would be wise." He said. "The boy hasn't eaten since that skirmish."

Don't remind me. I thought. "Here, I'll be down in a second. Just have the cook get Soren's food ready, and I'll deliver it to him."

He bowed and left without a word like always.

I sighed and grabbed my sword as I left the room. If there's a war starting, It's important to carry your weapon, just case we're suddenly attacked.

Walking down the stairs, I heard Lissa and Maribelle talking away in a frenzy. Just hearing them made me feel happy, but also sad. If Gangrel hadn't held the girl captive...this thing wouldn't have started in the first place.

"Chrom! Your awake!" Robin said, running up to me, noticing my grim expression. "What's wrong?"

"What? Oh...nothing." I said stupidly. Then I remembered I was talking to a master tactician. She can tell when something's wrong, even if the person's the happiest in the world.

"Chrom...I know something's bugging you." She said.

I shook my head. "Never mind. Sorry." She smiled sympathetically and rubbed her arm. "Soren's awake."

I nodded. "I heard. I was going to grab some food for him."

"That's nice of you." She said. "Mind if Skye goes with you?"

I shook my head. "I told Frederick earlier that's she's fine. I'll take her along."

She smiled. "Well, I'll see you later." She said and walked off.

There's something about her. I thought. I can't shake the feeling-

"Milord, here's Soren's food." One of the maids said.

I took it carefully. "Thank you. Where's the girl?"

"She's coming." She said. "Your sister's just giving her better clothes than those rags she was wearing."

She looks over my shoulder. "Speaking of which, here she is now."

I turned to see the girl walking up to me, wearing better clothing than the ones she was wearing earlier.

"You look nice." I told her. "Come on. I'm sure Soren won't mind the company."

She smiled and followed me as I headed up to Soren's room, finding him awake.

"Well, look who decided to wake up." I chuckled as I walked in, placing the tray of food on his bed.

He rolled his eyes. "Hey, at least you're in one piece. I got shot by an arrow!"

"Yeah, I know." I said. "It was a risky move."

He looked away. "Well, it was either that...or losing a father."

I paused and glanced at him. "What?"

He chuckled to himself. "I'll be honest...ever since I became a Shepherd...well, even before that, I've always looked up to you. You're like the father I never had."

"You...you never knew your family, did you?" I asked.

He shook his head. "My whole life, I was watched over by Byron." He said sadly. "There was never a picture of them, so there's no way I could picture them."

I looked away. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He said. "I'm not the only one to have no knowledge of my family. Nowi, Skye...I'm sure there are lots of people out there that never knew their real family."

"But then...there are people that do have a family, and I want to keep it that way. Just because I never had parents, doesn't mean everyone should share the same problem."

I chuckled. "Well spoken." I said. "I never knew your parents, but I'm sure they'd be proud to know what you fight for."

He smiled. "Thanks...Chrom."

I nodded and looked over to the door. "Someone else came to see you. Come on in."

Skye walked in and smiled at Soren. "Hey."

Soren smiled back. "Hey there. Come in."

"I'll leave you two alone." I said and walked out smiling as I overheard Soren and Skye chatting away.

There's hope for that boy yet. I thought.

* * *

><p>Later that night, I couldn't sleep a wink.<p>

I don't know what it was that was keeping me up. Either it was the war, or...what Gangrel said.

I gave up trying and left the room, going to the small castle courtyard for some fresh air.

As I stared at the walls, I kept recalling what Gangrel said to Emmeryn about my father.

I was so focused on what he said, I didn't notice Robin walking up to me.

"Chrom? What are you doing out here so late?" She asked.

"What?" I asked, surprised. "Oh...hey Robin."

She smiled. "Can't sleep?"

I shook my head. "No. Just...dealing with unpleasant thoughts.

"Tomorrow we're going to Ferox, to request for additional soldiers." I told her. "But...there's something you should know, first."

"I'm listening." She said.

I sighed. "Not everything Gangrel said was a lie." I said. "The last Exalt...my father, waged war on Plegia for many years. The violence...it was a brutal campaign, ending only with his death fifteen years ago."

"Fifteen years?" She said in disbelief. "Then that means Emmeryn was-"

"Crowned as the new Exalt when she was nine, yes." I said. "Plegia rightfully remembers their suffering, but his war was no kinder to his own people. As the fighting dragged on, our army became more and more diminished. Farmers who could barely wield a pitchfork were conscripted and sent to their deaths."

"Soon, there was barely any food at all, and our kingdom began to collapse." I said. "I was young, but...I still remember those dark days. ...They affected Emmeryn the most."

She nodded. "Such an experience can change someone."

"Indeed. When our father died before her tenth year, he left her quite the legacy." I said. "Plegia's desire for vengeance...our own people's unbridled rage...Emmeryn became the target for blame from all sides. Our own people began to hurl insults...and stones. She still bears the scar from one."

"Oh gods...it must've been awful." She said, horrified.

I nodded. "She never let them see her pain. Lissa and I were the only ones that understood." I told her and sighed. "I still have no idea how she does it. I couldn't greet such hostility with warmth or peace."

"While our people mocked her...she reached out and healed them." I said. "She brought soldiers home to their families. She ended the war our father started. And when Ylisse's spirit was mended and the people "forgave" her? She never resented them for it." I said and chuckled. "To this day...she still surprises me. She represents the best of the halidom...the part most worth protecting. She is peace."

Robin smiled sympathetically. "But there are still people that are against her."

I nodded. "Yes. Those thugs you and Soren ran into this morning were an example. Some men are bent on taking advantage of her. People like Gangrel." I said and gripped my sword. "The day he understands peace...will the day death gives it to him, so perhaps I must be death's agent."

Are you sure that's what Emmeryn would want?" She asked.

I shook my head. "She would never order him killed, nor would I wish her to."

"Well spoken." A voice said behind me. I turned around to see none other than Marth standing beside a tree, looking as serious as ever.

"Marth? What are you doing here?" I asked. "How did you get here?"

He smiled. "The cleft in the castle wall, behind the maple grove."

"How would you know of that?" I asked, rubbing my head.

Robin looked at me in confusion. "You know the place?"

I chuckled. "Yeah...I bashed in part of the wall while training the Shepherds." I explained. "I thought I had it well concealed, but..."

Marth grinned. "Don't worry, your secrets safe with me." He said. "How's your rookie?"

I stared at him in surprise. "How did you know...wait a minute, you're the one that sent that cure?"

He nodded. "Yes. It's a rare ingredient, and I'm glad I got it to you in time." He explained.

"Well, if he were here, he'd thank you." I said. "He's doing just fine."

"Good." He said.

"So...why are you here?" Robin asked.

He looked at her. "I came here only to warn you." He said. "The Exalt's life is in danger."

"What are you talking about? She's guarded at all hours." I said.

He gripped his sword. "What if I told you...I can see the future? Would you believe me? A future where Emmeryn is killed...tonight."

Robin and I exchanged confused glances.

"I figured you wouldn't." Marth said, drawing his sword. "I guess I'll have to prove it."

I gripped my sword, but he shook his head.

"I'm about to save your life." He said and faced a nearby bush. "From him."

Suddenly, an assassin dashed out and headed towards me.

Marth jumped behind him and slashed him in the back, immediately killing him.

"I trust...this proof shall suffice?" He asked.

Totally dumbfounded, I nodded. "Yeah."

He grinned when another assassin jumped from the tree and attempted to attack Marth, he jumped away just in time to get his mask sliced in half.

Only then I noticed the long hair suddenly appear as I killed the attacker.

I turned to face...well, her, considering the fact that she's a woman no older than seventeen.

"Wait you're...you're a woman?" Robin asked, surprised.

Marth laughed. "I was quite the actress, too." She said. "Honestly I'm surprised you never figured it out until just now."

Suddenly, an explosion erupted on one of the towers.

"Let's go!" She said. "I'll explain later."

I shrugged as Robin and I followed her back inside the castle, finding a large group of thieves and barbarian's fighting the guards.

Looks like the girl was right. We were to be attacked.

**Oh boy, here we go. The battles on to overcome! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey, what's up guys? Here's the new chapter. Enjoy. **

Chapter 9: Mysterious attackers

(Soren)

I wasn't sure what that noise was at first, but I knew something bad was happening.

"Skye, stay away from that door!" I said, slowly getting up from the bed when the door blew open, and an assassin ran through with a knife aimed for my chest.

"Watch out!" Skye said and tripped him, making me fall on the bed as I fell off.

Once I landed on the floor, I my chest started hurting like crazy. I couldn't help but grasp at it.

"Time to die, Ylissean!" The assassin said and raised his sword for the kill when a sword tip sprouted his chest, killing him instantly.

Once he fell, I saw Skye standing behind him with fear in her eyes.

"Soren...I...I'm sorry." She whimpered.

I shook my head. "Don't be. It was either him or me."

She smiled weakly as the room shook to another explosion.

"We should move." I told her. "Help me up."

She ran to me and put my arm over her shoulder, lifting me up and supporting me as I slowly walked towards the door, grabbing my sword from the dead assassin.

Once we got to the hallway, I could already hear the fighting further down the corridor.

"What should we do, Soren?" Skye asked, trembling.

I just stared down the hall and sighed. "If I survive this, Chrom's going to kill me."

"What?"

I turned to her. "I want you to hide, okay? Go somewhere safe. I'll take it from here."

"Soren, you're hurt." She protested.

"I know, but I can't just sit by and watch as our people are killed, and I know I won't live with myself if I lost another sister."

She stared at me. "That's...that's how you feel about me?"

I nodded. "I'll be honest with you, you remind me a lot of Nowi. Keeping you alive...it just feels like I'm paying her back for s mistake I made."

Tears welled up in her eyes as she hugged me.

I couldn't help but smile when I heard another holler of pain. "Okay, remember: find a safe place, lock yourself in, and hide. I'll come find you when this rolls over, I promise."

She nodded. "Okay."

As she ran up the stairs to find a hiding spot, I used the wall as my support as I headed down the stairs towards the skirmish.

Once I made it to the main hall, all I saw was a bunch of thieves and assassins fighting guards and Shepherds.

This isn't going well. I thought, holding my sword at the ready as a thief noticed me.

"Looks like I've got myself a new victim." He said, slowly walking towards me when Falchion appeared sprouted from his chest.

Well, leave it to Chrom to save my butt. I thought when a girl walked right past me and grabbed the sword.

She turned to me. "You okay?"

Confused, I nodded and glanced at the sword. "Where'd you get that? Who are you?"

"There's no time to explain." She said. "The Exalt's life is in danger, and I could use an extra hand."

"Emmeryn's in trouble?" I asked. "Let me help."

She looked at me with concern. "Are you sure? You don't look so good."

I shook my head. "I'll be fine. I've had worse." I lied. I felt bad for it, but I wasn't going to sit by and let the Exalt get killed.

She sighed. "Okay...but you'd better keep up."

I nodded. "Lead the way." I said and followed as quick as I could. I would've gone faster, but my ribs were in too much pain.

As we ran for the great hall, I saw Emmeryn and Phila running to the back.

"Emmeryn, don't go in there!" The stranger hollered. "It's a trap!"

Emmeryn looked at us in confusion as the wall behind her slid open, and a bunch of barbarian's charged through, heading towards her.

"Watch out!" I said as the thunderbolt shot from my marked hand again, zapping a few of them on the spot.

I seriously need to control this thing before I accidentally hurt someone. I thought as I drew my sword, standing in front of Emmeryn in defense. "Stay behind me!"

"Soren...you're not well." She said.

"I know...just..." I winced. "Just stay behind me."

Suddenly, a warrior jumped towards me with a hammer, knocking me flat on my back, making the pain worse as he pushed his axe towards me. It hurt to push my sword against it.

"Soren!" The girl yelled, trying her best to hold off an assassin. "Hang on, I'm coming!"

"There is no need!" Emmeryn said, slamming the bottom of her staff on the ground. "Be healed, young one."

The orb floating above the shaft started glowing, and something snapped on my chest. It hurt like crazy at first, but then I felt better in no time.

"Guess what...you're about to lose, Plegian!" I said and rolled to the side, spun around and slashed him across the chest.

"That's what you get for messing with Ylisse!" I said and ran over to the girl from before, kicking her attacker in the face.

"Quote a recovery." She said, holding her sword at the defensive as we stood side by side. "Even Owain couldn't do something like what you just did."

I grinned. "Let's just keep the Exalt alive." I told her.

She nodded and glared at the Plegian invaders, who were staring at us with rage.

"Get them!" One of them yelled, and they ran towards us hollering their insults, when they suddenly started backing off when a giant furry creature jumped over our heads and tackled the invaders.

"What the..." I wondered in awe as I watched the beast tear them apart.

"Her name's Panne." The girl said. "She's a friend."

I shrugged. "It's better than nothing."

"You got that right." I heard Chrom chuckle as he and the rest of the Shepherds stood behind me, getting antsy for a fight.

"Chrom...I-"

"Don't. You've done your part." He said. "Now let's do it together."

I nodded. "Anytime, anywhere!" I said and held my sword at the defense as they ran towards us.

One of them attacked me, but I blocked it and grabbed my red hand-axe, striking him on his side. As he crumpled to the floor, I jumped over him and rolled underneath another's feet, tripping him as I lunged forward and stabbed another in the chest.

I stood up and saw what I had just done. "Holy cow...did I just do that?"

Chrom chuckled, looking impressed. "You sure did. Where'd you learn that?"

Before I could answer, the ground beneath my feet started glowing bright red.

"Soren, move!" Robin yelled as the girl from before ran towards me and tackled me, knocking me out of the ring as it exploded with fire, and a tall, slender figure appeared.

"Hmm...two assassins and the little princeling was not even wounded?" He sneered, glaring at Chrom.

When he looked at Robin, he hesitated. "You...can it be?! After all these years of searching..."

"Back off!" Chrom said and lunged at him, but he was easily blown back.

"Chrom!" I yelled.

The man turned to me and smirked. "Well...it appears my little remedy wasn't strong enough to kill you after all."

I stared at him in confusion. "You're the one behind the poison?!"

"Of course. I had to use something to kill you. Arceans are hard to kill, you know. Your master should've warned you about me."

I suddenly felt the rage rise within me. This creep...he was the one behind the attack at Southtown. He killed Byron.

"Where is my sister?" I demanded. "Tell me!"

"I don't answer to freaks like you." He sneered and conjured an Elfire in his palm. "Prepare to die!"

"No!" I heard Chrom yell as the tip of Falchion's blade sprouted from his chest.

As his arms dropped to his side, the Elfire shot from his palm and went straight for the girl.

"Watch out!" I yelled and pushed her out of the way as the spell struck my left shoulder, knocking me into the wall.

The last thing I remember before blacking out was seeing the man fall to his knees.

(Chrom)

"Soren!" Robin yelled as I stood beside our attacker.

"Who are you?!" I demanded, holding my blade at his throat. "How do you know Soren?!"

He coughed. "If...if only you knew...Ylissean." He said and collapsed on the floor, dead.

I grumbled and ran over to Soren's side. "Hey, kid...come on, wake up!"

He coughed and jumped slightly, holding his scorched arm. "Ouch..."

"Are you ever going to stop being reckless?" I laughed as Marth and I helped him up.

"Hey, I had to do something." He said. "I mean, I couldn't sit by and watch."

"Well spoken." Marth said.

Soren looked at her. "Okay...I think you owe me us an explanation."

"I think she owes you an explanation." I corrected. "We already know who she is. Right, Marth?"

"Marth?" Soren asked, glancing at her. "Wait a minute...you're the-"

"The warrior you fought alongside at the forest? Yes." She giggled.

Soren stared at her in surprise and shook his head. "I'm totally confused."

I chuckled. "Easy there, kid. You've been through a lot tonight."

"We all have." Frederick said and turned to Emmeryn. "I fear Ylisstol's not the best place for you, Milady."

"Frederick's right." I told her. "We've got to get you somewhere safe. We need to get you to Ferox."

"Absolutely not!" She said. "I will not leave my people."

"There's no choice." Soren said. "With all due respect, we barely survived the night. If those guys attack again, I doubt we would last five minutes."

"Emm, please." I begged. "If something happens to you...look, I won't leave for Ferox with you in harms way."

Emmeryn sighed. "Chrom, war is at our borders. The people will be undefended."

"Maybe not." Soren said. "If we leave some guards here, like Pegasus nights or something, they should be able to defend Ylisstol."

"But for how long?" She asked.

"Emm...please." I said.

She sighed again. "Very well, I'll go."

I smiled. "Thanks, Emm, I mean it. We'll escort you to the eastern palace before we head north for the border. It's the safest route to go right now."

She nodded. She still looked unhappy with her decision, but what choice do we have.

"I have to thank you all." She said to the Shepherds. "Especially you, Soren."

"You're forgetting Marth." I said, pointing to where she had stood, only to realize that she was gone. "Soren, where'd Marth go?"

He shrugged. "I just found her missing, myself."

I groaned. "Not again..." I grumbled and headed for the castle entrance, only noticing that Soren was following me.

Typical. I thought. She still owes him an explanation.

* * *

><p>"Hey, wait up!" Soren shouted as soon as we saw her at the front gate, heading for the city.<p>

She turned around and sighed. "I was hoping I'd gone unnoticed. Apparently you catch on faster than I thought."

I chuckled. "You have a bad habit of leaving without saying good-bye."

She smiled. "Yes, I'm afraid I have a few bad habits."

"And some good ones." Soren said. "You save lives."

She giggled. "Thank you. I suppose you've figured out that I'm the one that provided that cure for you."

"No...until just now." He laughed. "I thank you for that."

She nodded. "I would suggest you try to be less reckless, however...I not sure you'd listen."

"Well, I'm only reckless when it comes to saving a life." He said.

"Than that makes us even." She told him. "Thank you."

"I take it that the future's averted?" I asked.

"Hmm...partly." She said. "The Exalt may be alive now, but whatever happens..."

"What was going to happen if you hadn't warned us?" Soren asked.

"Emmeryn would've been killed, the Fire Emblem stolen...a more catastrophic war than the last." She explained. "I know this sounds strange to you."

I shook my head. "Strangely...no, it doesn't. Somehow I know we can trust you, and I hope to someday repay your favors."

She smiled. "I'm sure you will. One day."

"Will we ever see you again?" Soren asked.

"Only time will tell." She said. "I'm sure we'll cross paths again in the future."

As she turned to leave, she quickly turned her head to him. "When you find your sister, Soren...be thankful for having her. You mean more to her than you realize."

Soren nodded in understanding. "I will. Thanks."

And with that, Marth walked off.

"Alright, lover boy, let's go." I chuckled, patting Soren's bad shoulder by accident.

"Yeow! That hurts!" He snapped, trying not to touch it.

"Sorry. You should have that looked at." I suggested.

"Yeah. I'll tell you, this is going to scarred for life." He muttered.

"Well, with Maribelle's magic, it should make it less visible." I assured him and noticed him looking troubled. "What is it?"

"I just...I'm just afraid for my sister." He said. "I mean...what if that creep ordered his people back home to kill her if-"

"Soren, nothing is going to happen to her, I promise you that." I told him. "I guarantee you, you two will be back together before you can say Aether."

He smiled. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"No, don't be." I said. "You...you amaze me, kid. You care more about your family than I've ever seen. I can tell."

He smiled. "Thanks. I just...I never knew my family, and I want Nowi to feel like she's got the family I never had."

"I wouldn't say you have no family, Soren. You do." I said and pointed to Robin and the others standing in the great hall. "The Shepherds are your family now."

He smiled. "I'm glad to be a part of it. Thank you." He said and went over to Lissa and Maribelle, who were talking among themselves.

We'll get your sister back, kid. I promise. I thought.

Right now, the more important thing to do is get mine to safety.

**Alright...Emmeryn's safe, but now she needs to be put somewhere safer from Gangrel and his goons. I'll be honest, I wouldn't want to leave my subjects at all of I were in her position. Well, life is about hard decisions, especially in wartime. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey, wassup? How's it going? Here's chapter 10. Enjoy. **

Chapter 10: Incursion

(Chrom)

The next morning was pretty rough. After what had happened last night, there were people at our doorstep demanding to know what's going on.

They were only told that they'll be protected by the pegasus knights for the time being until Ferox can get a cavalry for them, that way they'll be safe behind the walls until the war's over.

The Shepherds and my sister had already prepared themselves for the trip, while Robin and Skye helped Soren equip his weapons.

His injury healed up just fine, but now he can't feel his left arm. That could cause some problems when he dual wields, so I recommended just using one sword or his hand-axe would help.

As we headed for the eastern palace, I noticed him looking back at Ylisstol.

"Hey, you alright?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know. All my life, all I've ever wanted to do was protect my home. Now it feels like I'm abandoning it."

"We're coming back." I assured him. "We're going to win this war."

"I hope so." He sighed. "I just feel like we're making a mistake."

I nodded. "I know what you mean, kid."

* * *

><p>As we continued our trek through the hills, I thought about what Soren had said.<p>

Maybe we were making a mistake. I thought.

"Ohh...how much further?" Lissa whined. "I've got blisters the size of eggs."

I chuckled. "It's not so bad, Lissa. Just a healthy little stroll." I said and turned to Robin. "How are you holding up?"

"My legs feel like pudding." She muttered. "Your endurance astounds me."

I laughed. "How bout I carry you, then?"

"You could carry me." Lissa said. "No seriously, I would really be okay with you carrying me."

We all laughed except for Frederick, who was staring at our Hierarch, who was constantly checking looking over his shoulder.

"Is there something wrong, Hierarch?" He asked skeptically. "You keep glancing at the peaks."

"Hmm? Oh, I'm just...nervous I'm afraid. Dark times are these."

"Who is that?" Soren asked.

"The Hierarch? He's been a friend of House Ylisse for a long time." I told him. "He helped Emmeryn when she first became Exalt. Why?"

He scratched his chin. "I can't put my finger on it, but something feels off."

Suddenly, a short-axe flew over my shoulder and landed beside Frederick.

"What the-" I wondered and wheeled around to see a group of Barbarians and Wyvern riders heading towards us. "Shepherds, brace yourselves! We've got company!"

As I grabbed Falchion, the Hiearch suddenly dashed past me, waving his arms. "Take me! Take me! I'm the one that helped you! The King ordered you to spare me, didn't he?!"

"What?!" Emmeryn gasped.

"You traitor!" Soren yelled angrily, drawing his sword.

"I have orders to protect a man, yes." One of the Wyvern riders cackled. "But I see no man here! Only a pig! A traitorous pig that sold out his own sovereign! And what do we do to little piggies, eh?"

"Please..." The traitor begged.

"Enough! Take him away!" The rider ordered.

One of the Barbarians grabbed hold of the Hierarch's collar, but the old man shoved away, only to get an arrow in his back.

As he started to stumble, one of the Barbarians kicked him off the ledge into the endless abyss.

"Well, now that that's over with." The brigand leader chuckled and pointed at us. "Kill them! And bring me the Emblem and they're Exalt!"

"Emmeryn, stay back!" I told my sister, holding my sword at the defensive. "We'll handle this."

"Let me at them!" Soren said, but i put my arm up to block him.

"You're still hurt." I told him. "You should stay back and protect Emmeryn."

He nodded. "Understood."

"Here, use this!" Robin said, tossing him her Thoron tome and drawing her own sword.

We exchanged a quick nod and prepared ourselves for the upcoming battle.

"Get them!" The rider yelled.

One of the Riders flew towards me and attempted to strike me with his axe, but I easily took him and his dragon down with Falchion while Virion took down his follower.

"We've got to take out the commander!" Robin said. "That's our only way!"

"Right. Lead the way!" I told her and followed her through as the Plegians attacked us endlessly.

Suddenly, one of them lunges to attack her.

"Watch out!" I shouted and threw my sword at him, striking him hard in the gut.

"Thanks." Robin said as I pulled my sword out.

"Anytime." I told her. For a second though, I thought I saw her blush.

"Captain!" Sully yelled, skewering another brigand. "They're getting too close and personal here!"

"Right, keep pressing on!" I shouted and slashed another barbarian down.

Suddenluc I heard a faint explosion coming from the rear. For a second I thought it was Soren using Thoron, when a Pegasus flyer flew up.

When I saw the red hair, I recognized her as Cordelia.

"Chrom! Your Grace!" She yelled frantically, coming towards us with alarming speed.

"Cordelia? What are you doing here?" Phila demanded.

"Who's Cordelia?" Robin asked.

"Cordelia's one of our best flyers." Phila explained. "She was assigned to protect Ylisstol...oh gods, please don't mean what I think it means."

I feared the same thing, but I had to focus. "Robin, you got any wind tomes?"

"I have Rexcaliber!" She said.

"Use it! We need a clear path to their captain."

She nodded and switched her books, blasting a powerful gust of wind towards three of the Wyvern flyers, throwing them off their mounts and into the abyss.

"No!" The commander yelled angrily. "You want to die that fast, eh? Very well. Your wish is my command!"

He flew towards me and attempted to strike, but Robin suddenly pushed me out of the way and got hit on the arm.

"Back off!" She said, not minding the wound as she blasted him off his mount with her hurt arm.

She drew her sword and winced as the bleeding instantly got worse.

"Robin, get back!" I said and jumped in front of her, holding Falchion at the ready.

"Not this time, Chrom." She said. "We fight together."

I looked at her in surprise and nodded. "Let's do it."

"Aww...how sweet." The Wyvern captain cackled. "I love Ylissean romance when it's the last moments of their life."

"Think again!" I told him.

He grinned wickedly. "I'll splatter your blood across the canyon floor!"

"We'll see about that!" Robin shot back and used Bolganone.

The rider just barely jumped away in time to avoid the spell and ran towards us. I stopped him by bashing Falchion into his axe, locking them.

He punched my face with his free arm, slightly dazing me as it knocked me down.

"Die, Ylissean!" He snarled and raised his axe for the kill when Robin tackled him, stabbing him in the chest with her bronze sword.

He struck her leg with his axe and pushed her into me with all the strength he could muster.

"You doves think...killing me will change anything?" He coughed. "Hehehe...even now, my brethren storm across your precious border. You're doomed, Ylisseans."

"Not this time." I said quietly.

He smirked and stepped near the edge as he attempted to pull the sword out, but it was already too late. The weapon had already done its task. He fell backwards and plummeted into the abyss.

I sighed sadly and stood up, helping Robin on her feet. "You alright?"

She winced and sat back down holding her leg. "Not sure. I mean, my leg hurts to walk on."

"How bad?" Lissa asked.

"The leg hurts a lot more, but my arms fine." She said. "Stings a little."

"Well, we don't want the wound to get infected." I said, grabbing a wad of cloth wrapping from my pack. "Let's get you patched up."

She lifted her coat sleeve, revealing the blood covered wound. I wiped it off and tightly wrapped the cloth around it. "There. That'll do."

She smiled as Lissa tapped the top of her staff on her injured leg, making it close up and turn into a tiny scar. "Thanks."

I smiled and helped her back up. "Well, looks like the pathway's clear."

"Your Grace! My prince! You must run as fast as you can!" Cordelia said desperately, landing beside us with her pegasus. "More Plegisns are coming! Not a half days march."

"Cordelia, what are you doing here?!" Phila demanded. "Please tell me the border remains secure."

"I would if I could, milady." The young flyer said. "Gangrel led his might against us himself. The end was nigh when my knight-sisters begged me to fly and warn you."

"No..." Soren said. "Ylisstol."

"I should've stayed." Cordelia said as a tear slid down her cheek. "GODS! I can still here the screams!"

"Peace, Cordelia." Phila said, patting her shoulder. "Your sisters rightly prized your youth."

"I abandoned them, Phila!" Her apprentice said angrily.

"Sometimes fleeing takes more courage than you think." She assured her. "They knew that."

"We should move." Soren said. "I don't think we'll last five minutes if Gangrel catches up."

I nodded. "The kid's right. Emm, we need to get you to Ferox fast."

She shook her head. "No. I should return to the capital."

"What?! Are you crazy?" Soren asked. "They'll kill you as soon as they see you!"

"I should never have left." She told him. "I must return. Phila, will you take me back before they discover I'm gone. Bring me the Emblem."

She walked up to me. "Chrom...I entrust this to you."

Just as Phila brought her the shield, she handed it to me.

"The Fire Emblem?!" I asked. "But..."

"I need you to take it to Ferox." She said. "To safety."

"I'm taking you too, Emm." I told her.

"Chrom, this Emblem means more than anything else in House Ylisse." She said sternly. "It possess's tremendous powers, but too much blood has already been spilled for it anyway."

"Men, come on...you sound as if you're ready to give up." I said.

She smiled. "I am not giving up, Chrom. I'm only giving what I can."

"This is a bad idea." Robin said.

"Sis, wait! Let me come with you." Lissa begged.

Emmeryn shook her head. "No. Stay with Chrom. I command it."

Tears welled up in Lissa's eyes. "This isn't fair! I know our people need you, but we need you too!"

Emmeryn smiled and hugged her tightly. "Dry your tears, love. This isn't good-bye."

"Your Grace, the Pegasus Knights will escort you back to the capital." Phila said and turned to Cordelia. "You should stay with the Shepherds."

"Captain?"

While Phila talked with her apprentice, Emmeryn walked up to Soren, Robin, and Frederick. "Protect my family, you three." She said.

"Emmeryn...you're family too." Soren said as Robin tested her hand on his shoulder.

She smiled. "Soren, you have always been a member of House Ylisse. You and the Shepherds. I am honored...to think of you as the youngest member of the family."

He smiled and nodded. "The honor's mine, your Grace."

She smiled and looked over his shoulder to Skye, who was watching them.

"Take care of that girl, Soren." She said. "And find your sister Nowi. I know you'll find her."

"Your Grace, we're ready." Phila said.

"Thank you, Phila." She replied and faced us. "Good-bye, and good luck."

"Emm, please!" I said frantically. "Walking to your own death won't bring peace to anyone. Ylisse needs you. We need you. Just be selfish for once in your life."

She smiled. "Chrom...I love you. Both you and Lissa are my everything." She said. "As for the peace I seek...you cannot know who it is for. Not yet."

"This is a terrible plan." I said.

"The blood of the first Exalt flows strong in us, Chrom." She said. "You and I will keep Ylisse safe. I believe it with all my heart."

I nodded. "Be safe...sister."

She smiled sympathetically and hopped on Phila's pegasus, taking one last look at us before leaving with the surviving Pegasus I watched her go, I tightened my grip on the Fire Emblem.

Emmeryn...stay safe. Please. I thought.

(Soren)

A couple days have passed after arriving to Ferox. When we informed Flavia about the attack, she immediately started getting soldiers together for an offense against Gangrel.

Chrom hasn't said a word since what happened at Breakneck pass. I don't blame him, with his sister returning to a battlefield...there's no doubt he'd worry about her.

"Will the Exalt be okay?" Skye asked.

I nodded. "I'm sure she'll be fine."

"She's gotta be." Lissa said. "She's got Phila and the other Pegasus Knights with her. And Flavia's rounding up soldiers as we speak. We'll see her again, right Chrom?"

Chrom didn't say anything. He just stood there, staring off into space.

"Chrom? CHROM!" Lissa shouted.

He looked at her. "What? Oh, what were you saying, Lissa?"

She sighed and shook her head. "Let me know when you're out of your own head for a second."

He didn't respond. He just stood there.

Can't blame him. I thought as Sumia walked over to him.

"Snap out of it, Captain!" She said and punched him hard in the face.

My only response was jumping on my feet in surprise as Chrom rubbed his cheek.

"Ow! What the..." He asked. "What was that for?"

"Oh...did I do it wrong?" She asked, rubbing her hand. "Phila always said that sometimes a good slap will get someone out of their doldrums."

"Sumia, when you slap someone, you do it with an open palm." Lissa said. "You just punched Chrom in the face!"

"Oh...well it's the thought that counts." She replied, giggling. "Sorry."

Chrom shook his head and rubbed his cheek. "That seriously hurt."

Behind me, Flavia burst out laughing. "What's the matter, my dear prince? Sometimes love hurts!"

"Not helping, Flavia." I said. I'll admit though, I was slightly amused.

"Well, in any case, I bring you good news: the Feroxi army is finally mobilized. Every last man is itching for s battle. I must say, I'm looking forward to savoring a skirmish or two myself."

"You're coming?" I asked.

She nodded. "Of course. A Khan must have her fun. I'm even bringing my insignificant other."

"Who?" Robin asked.

"Khan Basilio. The oaf's not good for much, but he can stop a few stray arrows." She said, chuckling.

I sighed. "You Khans."

* * *

><p>As we entered Basilio's palace, we saw him talking with an Assassin.<p>

When he saw us, he sighed with relief. "Chrom! Thank the gods! I've been looking all over for you!" He said.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Our scouts have reported back. Dark news, I'm afraid. Ylisstol...has fallen."

"What?!"

"Those Plegian dogs took your exalt and her guards prisoner and retreated back to their lines. They plan to execute her within the moon."

"E-executed?!" Lissa asked and broke down in tears.

"Lissa, easy." I said as Robin supported her.

"The dastard's not trying to be subtle anymore." Flavia said.

"I agree. It's an obvious trap." Robin said.

"It's a provocation. The Mad king knew our scouts would relay the information back." Basilio grumbled. "We should consider our options carefully before-"

"Shepherds, we march for Plegia!" Chrom said suddenly.

"Hold on, we've already seen enough royalty waltzing into a trap." Basilio told him.

"I don't care if it's a trap! He's going to murder my sister."

"Peace, Chrom. Breath a moment." Flavia said. "No one's suggesting we don't act. We're simply saying we need to act wisely."

"The Khans are right." Robin said. Soren and I will think of something. I promise."

"Robin, are you sure?" Basilio asked. "You hold the exalts life in one hand, and ours in the other."

"It's not a burden I take lightly, but I'm equal to the challenge." She said.

"Same here." I said. "Emmeryn's family. I'm not letting Gangrel get away with this. Not this time."

"No hesitation...no mincing words...you too are either geniuses or fools." Basilio guffawed. "I suppose we'll find out as we march. Hold on to your tassetes, Ylisseans! We've got an exalt to save!"

Flavia put her hand on my shoulder. "You'll do your best, Soren. We have total faith in you two."

I nodded "Thanks. We won't let you down."

"It's not me you should worry about letting down. It's the man that recruited you, that's who." She chuckled. "But I'm sure he's got faith in you."

I smiled and noticed Skye looking over at me with worry.

I sighed and walked over to her.

"You're leaving?" She asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. Listen...I want you to stay here."

"Soren, I want to help." She protested.

"I know you want to, but...please, for me. Just stay here. We'll be back here in no time, I promise." I told her. "I'll even teach you how to wield a sword when I come back."

She smiled and wrapped me in a hug. "I'll see you soon, then."

"Yeah. I'll see you soon." I told her. "If I find Nowi, I'll introduce her to you."

"Sure. I'd love to meet her." She said.

"Soren, we're heading out." Robin said.

"Alright." I replied and hugged Skye one last time. "I'll be back, sis. I promise."

**alright, let's go save Emmeryn! Oh wait...whoops. Got caught in the moment there. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Alright, here's chapter 11. This one may be fast paced, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. **

Chapter 11: The Grimleal

(Robin)

After we had left Ferox from the western side, Soren and I started going over the plan for Emmeryn's rescue.

"We'll have to do this carefully." I told him. "Thankfully, Miriel managed to bring a map of Plegia from Ylisstol's library. That'll help us plan our move."

"Got any ideas?" He asked.

"Well, one of Basilio's scouts said that they're holding Phila and the surviving Pegasus Knights at one of the garrisons not too far from the oasis." I explained, pointing at the northeastern corner. "We'll have to have a few of us head over there and bust them out."

"What about the Oasis and its villagers?" He asked. "The scout said that they're no fan of Gangrel, so we'll have to warn them that a battle's coming."

"Well, with the terrain, we'll have to let Sumia, Cordelia, Ricken and Miriel handle that." I told him and noticed his hand trembling. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"You're shaking." I told him.

"Oh...right. Sorry." He said.

"No, what's wrong?" I asked.

He sighed. "I'm just...look, I'll be honest, I'm afraid, okay?"

"Soren...everyone's afraid." I assured him.

"I know, I...I just don't want to fail everyone."

"You won't." I said. "I have total faith in you, Soren. So does Chrom."

He smiled. "Thanks. Let's get down to business, then."

"That's the spirit." I said. "Here's one idea: Chrom and I can lead the Shepherds through the desert Oasis to warn the village, while you take the Khans and some Feroxi soldiers to the garrison. It'll probably be well fortified, but I'm sure you can handle it."

He nodded. "Sounds good to me."

"Your left arm up for it?" I asked.

"Yeah. Now that I can feel it a bit more after training with Stahl and Frederick, I should be able to dual wield again." He said confidently.

"What's going on here?" Chrom asked, giving us both a start.

"Chrom! Don't sneak up on is like that!" Soren said. "I thought you were a Plegian."

He chuckled. "That's good. Always stay alert, kid."

Soren rolled his eyes laughing. "So what's going on?"

"Oh, I was just wondering...here, do you mind if I borrow Robin for a second?" He asked.

"Sure. I'll just step outside for a bit." He said, leaving the tent.

"So. What's on your mind, Chrom?" I asked, checking the map.

"Uh...well..." He stammered and panted. "Agh! I uh..."

I looked at him skeptically. "What's with you? Just two days ago you were ready to take on an army." I giggled. "Now you look like you've seen a ghost or something."

"What?! No I don't!" He retorted.

"Chrom...what are you hiding?" I asked.

"Huh? Hiding? What are you talking about?" He laughed. "Me, hiding something?"

"Then why are you fidgeting like you've got a squirrel in your pants?" I asked, unconvinced. "And refusing to meet my eye? Look, didn't you say we were close friends once? With no secrets behind us?"

"It's not like that, Robin. I just..."

I sighed. "You've been avoiding me for the last four days, Chrom. Ever since the incident at Breakneck pass." I told him. "I'd like to know why. Do you dislike my company now?"

"Dislike your company? No! Of course not!" He said.

"Then why are you avoiding me?" I demanded.

"Don't look at me like that...it's just that...we've been through a whole lot together, fighting side by side. Look at first, I thought of you as an ally, then a comrade, and finally a friend." He said. "I've felt the bonds grow stronger between us. Then I realized...I thought that you were more than just a friend."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Look, you've made me come this far, and now I'm going to say my piece." He said.

"Then spit it out!" I said.

He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Robin...I'm in love with you."

This took me by surprise. "You...what?!"

"I've been in love with you ever since the day we found you unconscious in that field. I just didn't realize it until just now." He said. "Look, I know this is sudden and I'm coming in like a Wyvern in heat, but I'm not trying to force you into a decision."

"No it's not that." I assured him. "Well, yes, this is pretty sudden, but...I'm sorry, Chrom, but this is impossible. The general and his chief tactician? It just...it wouldn't be right, you know? Our first responsibility would be to the soldiers we lead, not to each other. You understand that right?"

He nodded. "Yes, I do."

I smiled. "But someday this war will end. We'll emerge victorious and bring peace back to the world. When that happens, we'll be free to follow our hearts."

He looked at me in confusion. "Our hearts?"

"Yes...because I love you as well." I said.

He scoffed in surprise. "You...you love me? Hah! That...that's wonderful!" He said. "This is the best day of my life!"

I laughed and held my arms around his neck. "Let's win this war, Chrom. Together." I told him and kissed him.

"Hey, Basilio's wanting to know when you're...what the heck?!" Soren yelled.

Chrom and I broke away "Soren!" I said. "Knock next time!"

"Hey, get a room." He shot back playfully. "You're lucky it's me that walked in and not Frederick."

"Good point." Chrom muttered, chuckling.

"Here, go tell the Khans we're ready." I told Soren.

He nodded and turned to leave before looking over his shoulder. "By the way, you two look great together anyway."

I smiled and watched as he left.

"Come on, let's talk strategy." Chrom said playfully, leading me out of the tent into the blazing hot sun.

* * *

><p>"Finally! Took ya long enough." Vaike said, leaning against a broken brick wall of an old garrison.<p>

"Enough, Vaike!" Miriel snapped.

"Alright, here's the plan!" I announced. "After liking over the map of the area and the terrain, I thought it would be best that Cordelia, Sumia, Miriel and Ricken fly ahead."

"Why?" Sully asked.

"Flyers and Mages are the only ones unhindered by the desert weather." Frederick said. "That move, might be wisest."

"Not only that, there's a village that's in the middle of the fighting." Soren said. "Sumia and Cordelia can warn them while Ricken and Miriel protect the refugees."

"Good call." Cordelia said. "I'm in."

"So am I!" Sumia added.

"You can count on me!" Ricken said confidently.

Miriel simply nodded. "I shall do my best."

"Okay...now that that's settled..." Sully said. "What are you having us do?"

"Chrom and I will lead the rest of the Shepherds past the oasis, while Soren, the Khans, and some Feroxi soldiers liberate Phila and the other Pegasus knights." I told her.

She shrugged. "Fine with me...as long as I get to kill something."

"Any other objections?" Chrom asked.

Everyone shook their heads, letting us know that they're fine with the plan.

"Alright, let's move." He said and patted Soren's shoulder. "I'm putting you in charge, alright?"

The adventurer nodded. "You got it."

"We'll let you know when to move in." I added. "By the time most of the Plegians are out of the forts, that's your cue."

(Soren)

We waited beside one of the large dunes, watching as Chrom, Robin, and the other Shepherds headed for the oasis while Flavia and Basilio watched the fort holding Phila.

"Not too far now." Basilio said and grumbled. "Can't wait to kill something."

"Easy, oaf." Flavia said. "We'll know when to move in."

Suddenly, I heard an explosion. It was far from where we stood, but it was close to the Shepherds.

"Whatever that was, that helped big time." A Feroxi scout said, pointing to the fort. "They're gone."

"Let's move in, then." I said. "Stay alert. It could be a trap."

"Rule number one: always think everything's a trap." Basilio said, spinning his axe in his hand. "It keeps you alive."

I rolled my eyes. "Feroxi." I muttered and drew my swords as we walked over to the fort. Once we passed the gate, I observed the area. "Look like they're gone.

"Let's move, then!" Flavia said. "The sooner we rescue your guard, the better."

(Robin)

"I hope Soren didn't think that explosion was the signal." Chrom said.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Not sure, but it sure got the Grimleal on the move." Frederick said.

I looked at him skeptically. "The Grimleal?"

"They worship the Fell Dragon." Chrom explained. "Such religion isn't usually allowed in Ylisse. Plus, they're very supportive of Gangrel."

"I see movement!" Virion announced.

"Alright, let's go buy Soren some time!" I said, drawing my bronze sword. "Though, I think that was already done by our mysterious friend over there."

"Well, you know the saying." Chrom said, drawing Falchion. "An enemy of our enemy is our friend. Let's go."

We dashed down the hill and headed for the village Sumia and Cordelia were ordered to protect.

"We've got company!" Frederick said. "They're stragglers."

"Let's say hello to them, then!" Sully said and rode ahead with Stahl, running through a couple brigands with their lances.

I grabbed one of my tomes and shot a couple warriors with Thoron and Bolganone.

"Alright, keep it up!" Chrom said, slashing through a myrmidon. "Just keep them focused on us so that-"

Suddenly, a blue ball of fire flew past his shoulder and blew up right next to a brigand, knocking him off his feet.

"What the...where'd that come from?!" He wondered when a giant, neon green dragon flew over our heads and attacked the victim, leaving nothing but a crumpled body.

"What is that thing?!" Lissa asked.

"It's a manakete!" Frederick said.

Wait a minute. "A manakete...Chrom, you don't think-"

He nodded. "Nowi."

"Hiya! Wrong end of the road, eh?" A voice said beside me as a gruffer man almost as tall as Basilio dashed past me and pummeled another myrmidon with nothing but the small shield on his left shoulder.

"Who's that?" Lon'Qu wondered.

"Let's just assume he's friendly." I told him. "Come on, let's take them out!"

(Soren)

Infiltrating the fort wasn't as easy as I'd hoped. Sure, there weren't any Plegians outside, but going in was a total different story.

As soon as we walked in, we were suddenly ambushed by barbarians. We only lost a couple Feroxi, but it didn't see stop us from pursuing our goal.

I quickly grabbed my bow and shot one of the archers before he could lay eyes on us, alerting the other.

"Hang on, I gotcha!" Flavia said and chucked her short axe at him, knocking him into the wall.

"Thanks." I said. "Nice toss."

She grinned. "Never mess with a Khan with an axe, kid. Otherwise you end up with one in your chest."

I chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind. Come on, we're not to far."

As we got deeper into the fort, for some reason I was thinking that we were too late.

It's just the negative feel of battles. I told myself as we stopped in front of a door.

"Alright...they're supposed to be in here." Basilio said.

I nodded and drew my swords. "Kick it down on my mark." I told him, slowly counting down in my head. "Mark!"

The Khan stepped back and kicked the door down as if the hinges were just wet clay, and we stormed in, attacking any Plegians that got in the way of our mission.

"Alright, the cells are here." A Feroxi soldier announced.

"Got it." I replied, taking the keys from the dead Plegian and tossing them to Flavia. "You bust them out, I'll find a faster way out of here."

She nodded. "You'll need the oaf."

"Right. Come on, Basilio! My you still have that hammer?"

"Always." He said, resting it on the top of his shoulder. "Whaddaya need it for?"

"To break down a wall." I said. "Come on."

We dashed up the stairs and ran for the wall. I pulled out my hand-axe and tapped the back end on the wall, listening for any vibration.

"This a trick Byron taught you?" Basilio asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. Couple days before all heck broke loose." I said, tapping a bit harder, hoping to avoid the conversation.

"He'd be proud of ya, I'll tell you that." He added.

"Thanks." I told him.

"How's it coming up there?" Flavia asked.

"Hold on, I think I found it." I replied, stepping back. "Hit it."

Basilio grabbed the hammer with his other hand and swung as hard as he could, breaking a large hole into the brick wall, large enough for us to walk through.

"Alright, let's move!" I said, stepping back into the hot desert sand with the Khans, the Feroxi, and the survivors of Ylisstol.

"Well done." Flavia said, helping Phila stay on her feet.

I nodded and turned to the battered Pegasus knight. "How many of you are there?"

"There's three of us, counting myself." She said groggily. "One of us was killed on the way here."

"I'm sorry for your loss." I told her. "Let's get you back to the Shepherds. We'll patch you up and send you to Ferox with the other survivors."

"No, I can manage." She assured me. "Where's the Exalt?"

"She's bound to be executed tomorrow, but we're going to save her." I told her.

"Then I want to help." She said.

"Peace, Phila. You're hurt." Flavia said.

"I don't care! I still have s duty to protect her." She snapped and winced.

I sighed. "We'll see what Chrom has to say." I told her. "If he feels that you should go back to rest, you go, understand?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"I say...you've changed, kid." Flavia chuckled. "You're not that shy boy I knew five years ago."

I smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment." I said as I noticed the Shepherds. "What's going on?"

"Not sure. They look like they're talking with someone." She said.

Stahl must've heard us coming, because he wheeled around and tapped Chrom on the shoulder. When Chrom looked over to me, he smiled and stepped to the side.

That was when I saw Nowi.

She was standing there, talking with Robin when she noticed me. Her eyes immediately filled with tears as she dashed towards me.

I couldn't help myself. I just took off towards her and attempted to wrap her in my arms, but she tackled me with such force it knocked me on my back.

"Soren..." She wailed burying her face in my shoulder. "I...I couldn't..."

"You're okay..." I told her. I could tell I was misty eyed, because I couldn't see a thing through my tears. "You're okay, sis."

Chrom walked up and knelt down beside us, laughing as he helped me sit up.

I couldn't help but grab his shoulder. "Chrom...thank you. Thank you so much."

He grinned. "It's not me you should be thanking." He said and pointed to a taller man. "Gregor's the one that saved her."

I looked over to the newcomer and nodded. He nodded back and grinned. "How much you pay?"

"Gregor!" Robin snapped.

The man only guffawed. "Gregor make joke! No laugh? Tough crowd you are."

I scoffed and held my sister close. "I'm so glad to see you again, you little newt."

She giggled and pulled away, smiling. "You too, big brother."

"Aw...so sweet." Lissa said. I had only just realized she was crying as well.

"Lissa..." I laughed and stood up to face Chrom. "You promised me you'll help save my sister, Chrom. And for this I thank you. Now it's time I saved yours." I held out my hand.

He smiled and shook it. "I'm glad I could help, Soren. Thank you...for wanting to help us after everything."

"And I always will...to the very end." I told him.

"Let's get to the garrison." Robin said. "You two can catch up there."

I nodded and realized that Nowi was wearing tattered clothes. "Let's get her something better to wear than that bag."

"I'm sure we have something in the convoy." Chrom said. "Come on."

As the Shepherds started heading for the garrison, I helped Nowi back on her feet and held her close as we walked.

I got my sister back. I've never felt this much joy since the day Byron took her in.

**Welcome back, Nowi. And apparently...Chrom and Robin reached relationship level S. Uh...win-win, I guess. **


	12. Chapter 12

**hey, what's up everybody? Who's up for chapter 12?**

Chapter 12: Catching up

(Soren)

Once we arrived to the garrison, I noticed a pile of unconscious Plegians tied up to one of the poles.

"Hi." Sumia said, spinning her lanced in her hand. "What took you guys?"

I laughed. "Just a little skirmish. Nothing to worry about."

She giggled as Miriel walked up. "I see you have some new recruits."

"Yes, this is Gregor." Chrom said, pointing to the mercenary. "He's a sell-sword, but he should do just fine."

"Who's the girl?" Cordelia asked as she finished tying up another group of unconscious brigands.

"This is Nowi. My sister." I said.

Sumia gasped. "Is this...her?"

I chuckled and nodded. "Yep. This is her."

"Well, welcome to the Shepherds, little one." Miriel said, smiling.

"I'm not that little." Nowi grumbled. "I'm fourteen."

"I wouldn't call her "little one" if I were you." I warned. "She's not a fan of that."

"My apologies." She said. "All in all, welcome aboard...though I would suggest you wear finer cloth."

"Oh be nice, Miriel." Cordelia said. "Can't you see the poor dear's been through a lot?"

"It's fine, Cordelia." Robin assured her. "I was actually going to check the convoy anyway. Come on, Nowi. Let's try to find something better for you to wear."

My sister thanked her as they both walked out the doors and headed for the supply caravan.

"I'm glad you were able to find your sister, Soren." Sumia said.

I chuckled. "Thanks."

"Well, we'll have to prepare for tomorrow." Chrom said. "Get some rest, all of you. In the meantime, Robin, Soren and I will plan our next move."

"Oh joy...I can't wait." Sully chuckled, brushing past me.

"You know, you could just show Soren some respect, Sully!" Lon'Qu snapped.

"Your point?" She asked coldly.

"Well, he's been working his arse off to help you Ylisseans!" The Myrmidon told her. "Not just to save his sister, but also to keep your dang halidom running!"

"Peace, Lon'Qu!" Basilio said.

"No, he has a point." Chrom assured the west-khan. "Sully, it's about time you gave Soren a chance. He's fought for us this whole time since we first recruited him."

"You mean when YOU recruited him." She said. "All I saw in him was just another recruit i can drag around."

I couldn't take it anymore. I grab one of my swords and put the tip at her throat. "Take that back!"

"Soren!" Flavia said cautiously.

"Stand down you fool!" Basilio hollered as the doors opened.

Once Robin and Nowi walked back in, they froze when they saw me.

"Soren..." The tactician said and turned to Chrom. "What's going on?"

"You think you're so good just because you hail from some military family, don't you?!" I demanded, ignoring her. "That you actually had people to teach you how to fight back in case of danger, or to tell stories with, huh?! Well guess what, it doesn't matter, cause I never had that luxury. I never knew my real family. That could be alive, dead...I don't know. Just give me a dang break!"

Sully looked at me with fear in her eyes and stepped back slowly.

"Soren...are you alright?" Chrom asked, gently taking my sword.

"No...not as long as I don't know who my parents were." I mumbled and stormed off.

(Chrom)

"Well...that was something else." Basilio said.

"Am I the only one here that's freaked out?" Vaike asked. "I mean...he just...he looked like he was really going to take Sully's head off."

"He's been like that." Nowi said sadly.

I turned to her. "You know about this?"

She nodded. "The people back home...that used to get on to Soren about being unwanted by his parents." She explained. "It hurt him so much. It was either me or Emma trying to help him deal with it."

"This Emma...she was your friend, right?" Robin asked.

The manakete nodded. "Yeah. She and Soren were the best of friends. Almost like siblings."

"So...Soren has three sisters?" Vaike asked.

"Well...yeah, sorta." She said. "I'm not sure what happened to her. She wasn't with me."

"She's not with us, either." I said. "After the attack at your village, one of the villagers said he saw her...vanish out of thin air. I didn't believe him at first...but after everything that's happened that past couple weeks...I kind of regret it."

"Here...maybe I should talk to him." Nowi said. "I'm pretty good at calming him down."

"Go ahead." I said.

She smiled and headed the direction Soren went.

"You sure he'll be okay?" Robin asked.

"I don't know." I told her. "If that's been bothering him all his life...I'm not sure how we can help."

"Once this war's over, I'll be sure to find out more about him." Miriel said. "That is...if we survive this."

I chuckled. "Thanks, Miriel."

(Soren)

I sat at the desk in one of the rooms, staring out the window into the vast desert.

I'll be honest...I don't regret a single thing I said to Sully. The whole trip back home from Ferox that one day, she was so busy bragging about how her father taught her this, or her brother taught her that. I'm tired of it. It's time she figured that not everyone had the life she had.

"Soren?" I heard Nowi ask as she carefully opened the door. "Mind if I come in?"

"Sure, come on...in." I said, noticing her new clothes. "Wow...where did Robin find that?"

She giggled. "You like it?"

I told her it looked great on her. She had a light purple cape hanging from her neck, while she wore a white and a small lime-green shirt and shorts covering her upper body and waist, leaving her stomach bare.

"Believe me, it's better than what those creeps made me wear." She muttered. "That tactician girl's really nice."

"Yeah, she is." I said and looked away.

"Soren...you're still bothered, aren't you?" She asked.

I chuckled. "You know me better than anybody." I said.

"Maybe not. For example, Robin told me that you're the best fighter in the Shepherds." She said. "She calls you an "adventurer"."

"Adventurer, huh? Catchy." I said.

She giggled. "Yeah. I think it suits you. Just give yourself a shoulder plate like the one Chrom wears, and you'll look a lot like one. I mean it."

I laughed. "Boy did I miss you." I said as she tackled me with a hug. "I'm not letting you out of my sight, Nowi."

"Same here, big brother." She said and pulled away. "What's that in your pocket?"

I smiled and pulled out a small gem. "Remember this?"

Her eyes widened. "Is that...my dragonstone?"

I nodded. "Yep. I found it in the rubble back home."

She hugged me again and took the stone gently. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She said.

I laughed and moved a stray strand hair from in front of her face. "You're welcome, you little newt."

She smiled. "Let's go save the exalt, shall we?"

* * *

><p>"Okay, so what's the plan?" I asked as we walked over to Chrom and Robin, who were looking at the map.<p>

Robin smiled and pointed at one section. "Basilio's scouts say that Gangrel will have Emmeryn executed on one of the cliffs next to the city." She said. "To buy both of us time, we'll need you to use your bow to take out the executioner."

I nodded. "Sounds good."

"That's when we'll move in and get her out." Chrom said. "We'll have to circle around the large wall and take out Gangrel in order for this to work though."

"Well, there's a large chance the coward will hide." Frederick said.

"True, but still." Chrom said. "Once it's clear, I'll signal for Phila and the pegasus Knights to get the Exalt."

"Pretty good plan." I said.

"Can I help?" Nowi asked.

"Well...I don't know." Robin said. "I mean...you two just reunited, and if either of you are killed..."

"We'll be fine." I said. "Nowi's actually an able fighter."

"Be that as it may." Frederick said. "But I recommend you have your sister stay here for the time being."

"I want to help." Nowi said. "Please."

Chrom and Robin exchanged nervous glances and sighed. Finally, Chrom sighed. "Alright...you can fight, but you should stay close to Soren. Understand?"

The manakete nodded. "I will. I promise."

"Don't say that to me. Tell him that." Robin laughed.

"Don't worry, we've got each other's backs." I assured her, holding my sister close. "We always do."

(Robin)

Later that day, most of the Shepherds and Feroxi soldiers had already turned in for the night.

Soren and Nowi shared one of the tents outside, saying that it brought back fond memories of their childhood with their guardian.

"Whelp...in going to get some rest." Chrom yawned after going over the plan again a third time. "You should too, Robin."

I smiled. "Sure. I could use a...what were we arguing over again that day?"

He chuckled and patted my shoulder as he walked off.

After putting the map away and looking over my tomes, I headed for another tent next to Soren and Nowi's and went to sleep.

Suddenly, as I was sleeping...something felt...strange.

There was a dark purple color, and there was a figure standing in the ominous mist.

"Master, Exalt Emmeryn is to be put to death on the morrow. Events will soon be back on course." A voice said. It sounded strangely familiar, but I couldn't see who it belonged to.

There was silence at first, but hen there was laughter.

"I should never have doubted the truth of your words." The voice said. "The yoke of destiny cannot be cast off. Even as they try to resist, they write your future with every step, O great one!"

What is going on? I thought as the scene changed, and I saw Chrom helping me up.

"You alright?" He asked, smiling as he looked over his shoulder. "That's the end of him.

He turned back to me and started helping me up. "Thanks to you, we carried the day. We can rest easy now, at long last."

Suddenly, my vision turned red, and I stab Chrom in the chest with a bolt of lightning.

"Chrom!" I tried to yell, but it was no use. It was only a dream.

He looked at me reassuringly. "This isn't...your fault." He said. "Promise me...you'll escape from this place. Please...go..."

He fell in a heap, dead on the floor.

"Oh gods...no." I told myself as I hear laughter.

* * *

><p>"Gah!" I shouted, waking with a start.<p>

"Robin? Are you okay?" Soren asked through the tent walls.

What was that about? I wondered.

"Hello? Are you okay?" He asked again.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied.

There was a pause. "Okay. Chrom wanted me to fetch you so that we can go over the plan with everyone."

"Tell him I'm on my way." I said, slipping on my boots.

Whatever that was...something happens to Chrom, and I'm responsible for it.

I shook away the thought. "Focus, Robin. You're on a mission." I told myself and headed back to the garrison to rally the others.

**Ooh...scary. **

**Anyway, this one was pretty fun to do. Plus, be sure to give Kyokotheeevee credit for Emma, who happens to be her character. **


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey, what's up? End of January's coming up pretty dang soon. Can't wait. **

**Anyway, here's chapter 13. Enjoy. **

Chapter 13: Emmeryn

(Soren)

"Glad you all could make it." Chrom said as Robin and I walked in. "After looking over the battlefield, Robin and I have decided our strategy."

Everyone focused their attention on Robin as she stabbed beside the prince.

"Okay, first off, we're going to need to buy everyone time." She said. "That includes the Exalt."

"How do we do that?" Stahl asked.

"Once the executioner is given the order, I'll use my bow to either kill him, or knock him off the cliff." I said. "Hopefully the first. It'll buy us lots of time."

"Once the executioners out of the picture, well circle around the large wall surrounding the courtyard and take out Gangrel." Chrom said. "If he's not there by the time we arrive, but is replaced by one of his top commanders, I'll give the signal for Phila and her knights to grab Emmeryn."

"How do we get out?" Ricken asks.

"Basilio's setting up a caravan as we speak." Robin said. "Once the Exslt is recovered, we high-tail out of there."

"Any objections?" Chrom asked.

No one said anything.

"Alright, let's move!" Chrom announced.

As the Feroxi troops headed out the door, I turned to Nowi. "Alright, stick close to me, okay?"

She nodded. "You bet."

I smiled. With Nowi with us, there's no doubt we'll have the advantage.

* * *

><p>Virion, Nowi and I waited by one of the dunes while the rest of the troops waited along the wall.<p>

The wall was higher than I had hoped. I was lucky enough to see Emmeryn and a Plegian walk to the edge of the cliff.

"There she is." I said, readying my bow.

"Wait...don't shoot yet." Virion said and pointed to the left. "Look."

I glanced over to where he was pointing and saw Gangrel walking on a lower cliff.

"Looks like he's going to give a speech." I guessed and gritted my teeth. "Not like I'd want to listen to that madman."

"Soren...its him." Nowi said, pointing to the dark figure beside the Mad King.

I recognized him immediately. "That's the guy that shot me."

"What?" My sister asked.

"There was a scandal, and our young friend here was hurt." Virion explained. "The executioners in position!"

"Got it!" I replied and fired my arrow.

For a second the brigand froze, then he fell backwards off the cliff, leaving Emmeryn looking around in confusion.

"Alright, let's go!" Chrom shouted as the three of us regrouped with him and followed as they charged along the wall.

One brigand saw us coming, but Virion had already landed an arrow in his chest before he could alarm the others.

It's not like they'd pay attention anyway. Most of them were too focused on fighting something else.

"What's going on?" Flavia asked.

"I don't know, but it sure got most of the Plegians in a twist." Basilio said.

"We'll worry about it later." I said when a hand-axe suddenly flew past my ear. I responded by firing back with my bow.

"Looks like we got a few strays." Robin said and blasted one with one of her tomes.

"Take out all the soldiers first!" Chrom commanded. "We'll deal with the Mad King! Robin, Soren and Nowi, come on!"

We followed him while the rest of the Shepherds dealt with the other Plegians.

Suddenly, we found ourselves surrounded by a group of barbarians and mages alike.

"Crud..." I said and grinned. "Nowi, time to tip the scales!"

She smiled and tapped her stone. With bright flash of light, Nowi transforms into a giant green dragon and blasted two of the soldiers with her plasma breath.

"Woah...remind me not to get on your bad side." Chrom said.

Nowi laughed and blasted a couple more before Robin and I jumped in front of her and blasted them with Bolganone.

"Great work!" Chrom said, slashing down a few more when one was suddenly thrown into the wall next to him. "What the..."

"Prince Chrom!" Someone shouted from my left. I looked over to see a tall, long blonde haired man run towards us with an axe.

"Chrom, watch out!" I yelled and attempted to use my mark ability to zap him when I saw the Mark of the Exalt on the collar of his tunic.

"You're one of us?" I asked and realized that my hand was about to fire the lightning bolt and aimed it away, ending up hitting a pursuing Plegian.

"That worked." Robin giggled and turned to the man. "Who are you?"

"Why do you fight alone?" Chrom demanded.

The man turned to him and smiled. "Prince Chrom! Thank the gods!"

"You know who I am?" The prince asked.

"Know you? Of course, sire! All Ylissean clergy do. I am Libra. I must thank the gods for unifying us at last!"

"Uh...with all respect, Now's not the time for prayer." I said.

"Ah, too true." He chuckled. "We hurried here to help as soon as Ylisstol fell."

"We? There were more of you?" Robin asked.

He nodded. "Alas, there were. I lost many brave comrades along the way. In truth, I was starting to doubt the purpose of my struggle...but no more!" He said. "Pray, sire, let my axe serve you and your party."

Chrom shrugged. "Your love for my sister's clear. I would be honored to be joined by a formidable woman of the cloth."

"Uh...Chrom." I said.

"Man, sire." Libra corrected.

Charm stared at him in confusion. "Oh...wait, what?"

"Women are clerics." He explained. "I'm a priest. Well...war monk, if you care to split hairs."

"Oh...well, I didn't mean to imply...this is rather awkward." Chrom said.

"Awkward for you, mostly." I chuckled, only to get whacked in the back of the head.

"Chrom! They've got Wyvern riders!" Frederick said.

"Stay behind and take care of them!" Chrom replied. "We need the skies clear." He turned to Libra. "Think you can handle a few more Plegians?"

The war monk grinned and nodded. "Of course, sire."

Libra followed as we headed for the courtyard entrance, which was being guarded by a general and a dark mage.

"No sign of Gangrel anywhere." Robin said.

"Let's just take out those two and be done with it." I said. "If we stay longer, we'll lose our chance of escape."

"Soren's right." Nowi said. "I see a large group of Plegians heading towards us.

"How far are they from here?" Robin asked.

"Pretty far. Enough for use to beat those bullies and save the Exalt."

"Good. Let's use that to our advantage." Chrom said and held Falchion in defense.

The general glared at us. "You'll never save your precious exalt, scum!" He said.

"We'll see about that!" I said and attempted to blast him with Rexcaliber, but the ground exploded with flames, knocking me flat on my back.

"Soren!" Nowi and Chrom yelled.

"You big bully!" The manaket growled and blasted another plasma ball at the girl assisting the general, who evaded and hit her wing with Elfire, knocking her onto me.

"Ow..." She whimpered, turning back into her old self.

"You're telling me." I coughed

As she tried to get up, I saw the burn on her arm. "Are you okay?"

She winced and held her arm in response.

"Yeah, you're hurt." I said and stood up. "Come on, just stay close to me."

"Let me help." Libra said and tapped her staff on the arm. With quick flash of light, the burn was gone.

"Thanks." Nowi said.

"My pleasure." The monk replied with a smile. "Come, we must assist your friends!"

I nodded. "You're right. Come on!" I said and turned to see Robin fall flat on her back.

"Robin!" Chrom yelled, holding Falchion in defense.

"Prepare to die!" The general yelled and turned to the mage. "Finish them."

The girl looked away from her commander. "Why should I have to do it?"

"Because you are ordered to!" He hollered and grabbed her arm. "Now do it!"

"You want then dead? Do it yourself!" She shot back and blasted his helmet off with Elfire.

"Agh!" He yelled, grabbing at his face. "You traitor! You'll die for this!"

"Oh, so you want me dead, huh?" The mage asked. "Come at me."

The general gritted his teeth and thrust his lance towards her, but it was blocked by Chrom.

"Not this time." He said and knocked him back, thrusting his sword through the thick armor and into his chest.

The general coughed out blood and glared at him. "You think...this is over, prince? Killing me...will only feed Plegia's rage." He said before collapsing.

"We'll be long gone." Chrom said.

"Milord, the Wyvern riders are taken care of!" Frederick said as he rode up to us with Lissa on his horse.

"Right. I'm giving the signal!" Chrom said and whistled as hard as he could.

Within a minute, Phila, Cordelia, Sumia, and the rest of the pegasus knights flew up and headed for Emmeryn.

"Emmeryn, hop on!" I heard Phila tell her.

Suddenly, a group of Risen archers appeared out of thin air.

"What the...Phila, watch out!" I shouted.

Confused, she turned to see the archers, but was struck in the back by one of their arrows.

"No!" Chrom yelled in horror.

"Phila!" I heard Emmeryn scream as we watched her top guard fall to her death.

"Sumia, Cordelia, get out of there now!" I said.

Sumia nodded and started to fly away as her pegasi was struck by another arrow, knocking her off as the beast plummeted.

"No no NO!" Robin said as more pegasus knights fell. The only survivors were Sumia and Cordelia.

"We've lost." Chrom said.

I believe this is what's called a reversal of fortunes." Gangrel said as he walked up to the edge of the lower cliff. "Now, grovel before me. Plead! Beg for your worthless lives!"

"I'd give up my life before I'd beg for it from you!" Chrom said as I readied my bow and aimed it at him.

"Oh...good line." The Mad King cackled menacingly. "A fitting epitaph for your tombstone, perhaps? Enough about that. It's not just your life in the balance. The exalt still stands upon the block with about a dozen bows trained on her. All I have to do is give the word and-"

"Emm...hold on, I'm coming!" Chrom shouted and was about to run when an arrow hit the ground right in front of him.

"ARCHERS! If this Ylissean pup so much as twitches, let fly your arrows!" The mad King hollered.

"Not if I kill you first, madman!" I said, training my bow at him.

"Go ahead! I welcome it." He said. "Just know that you'll be responsible for Big Sister's bloody demise!"

"You..." Chrom growled.

"Now, now, my boy-no one needs to die today. Not you, your exalt, nor your friends. Just lay down your weapons and give me the Emblem." Gangrel said.

"Chrom, don't." Robin said. "We can't trust him."

"Of course we can't!" He said desperately. "I'm not an idiot. But if I say no, he'll kill her!"

"Don't give up, Chrom!" I said. "There's a way, I'm sure of it."

"If there is, I can't see it." He said.

"I will count to three." Gangrel announced. "One! Two...thr-"

"Gangrel, stop!" Chrom said. "Everyone, lay down your weapons."

"No, wait!" Emmeryn shouted. "Gangrel, is there any hope you'd listen to reason?"

"You mean listen to more of your sanctimonious babble?! I think not." The King said. "No, all I want to hear now is the THUNK of arrows, and a SPLAT as you hit the ground. Take one, long, last look from your perch. You do so enjoy looking down on people... Then prepare to meet the ground, and your maker! That is, unless someone were to give me the Emblem... NOW!"

Emmeryn didn't respond.

"ALL RIGHT! All right...Emm, I know you won't approve, but this is my final decision." Chrom said. "MAYBE someday we'll face a crisis where MAYBE the Emblem would've helped... But I know for a fact that Ylisse needs you, today! The people need their exalt... And we need our sister. If those dark days should come, we'll face them together."

Emmeryn shed a tear and smiled at her brother. "Chrom...thank you. I know now what I must do." She said and started walking forward.

"Emm? What are you doing?!" Chrom demanded.

"Plegians!" She yelled, ignoring her brothers desperate effort to get her attention. "I ask that you hear the truth of my words! War will win you nothing but sadness and pain, both inside your borders and out. Free yourselves from this hatred! From this cycle of pain and vengeance. Do what you must... As I will do. See now that one selfless act has the power to change the world!"

"Emm, no! No!" Chrom said tearfully as he ran towards her cliff.

"Chrom, wait!" I said and ran after him.

(Emmeryn)

I watched as Chrom and Soren ran to help me.

"No reaction...was I wrong then?" I asked myself, looking over the desolate land the Plegians called home. "Chrom...this is some torch I'm passing you."

When I noticed Soren, I couldn't help but smile as I recalled what he had said that day back at Breakneck pass. "So be it."

I walked to the edge and locked my hands together, leaning forward until I was falling.

Chrom...Lissa...and all my people...know that I loved you. Was my last thought before hitting the ground, losing consciousness.

(Chrom)

"No..." I said, falling on my knees as I saw the crumpled body of my sister. "...Emm."

"Oh gods." Robin whispered as she knelt beside me, holding me close as I wept.

"We've gotta go, now!" Soren said, looking as horrified as I felt. "That army's getting closer!"

"Gangrel...you die today!" I said angrily, grabbing my sword.

"No! We've secured an escape route!" Basilio said as he and Flavia ran up to us. "We've got to leave now!"

I hesitated and looked back at my dead sister. "Her body...I have to-"

"Chrom, there's no time." Soren said. "You guys go. I'll hold them off as long as I can!"

"What? No!" Nowi said. "We're not leaving you!"

"Nowi, you have to go." He told her and turned to me. "Make sure she gets to Ferox!"

Suddenly, the man with black armor appeared behind him, pulling out a sword with a...red crystal blade?

Soren saw him coming and blocked it with his swords. "Go, now!"

Nowi broke down in tears as Robin pulled her away from the fight.

As the others took off, I took one last look back just to see Soren stabbed through the abdomen and throwing into one of the pillars by the dark warrior, getting crushed by the rubble.

"No!" I yelled and attempted to help him, but Basilio grabbed my arm.

"Go! Robin, make sure he doesn't do anything stupid, you hear?!"

She nodded, face soaked with tears as she helped Flavia escort me.

"Don't any of you look back!" The west-khan ordered. "Don't look back."

(Lucina/Marth)

"No...oh gods no." I whimpered as I saw Soren get thrown into that pillar. "Emmeryn...Soren. I failed. Our bleak future is written once more."

**aw man...this is...the worst chapter in the game. I'll admit, I was saddened as I saw Emmeryn die. It's emotional. **


End file.
